SCOTLAND

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department provides  (a) tax-free benefits and  (b) other allowances for its staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice and are able to access any initiatives operated by their parent Departments.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

David Cairns: Details of the percentage of questions answered within deadlines by the Scotland Office for the last six months are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Ordinary written questions answered within five working days  Named day questions answered on the day requested 
			 October 2007 55 100 
			 November 2007 36 78 
			 December 2007 23 0 
			 January 2008 57 100 
			 February 2008 48 n/a(1) 
			 March 2008 40 n/a(1) 
			 (1) No named day questions were asked.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality: Legislation

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will publish the responses to the consultation on the Government's proposals for a single equality bill.

Barbara Follett: The Government intends to publish the responses from organisations to its consultation on proposals for a Single Equality Bill at the same time as it publishes its own full and formal response to this consultation.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Electronic Government

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which his Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

Shaun Woodward: There are no mechanisms in place to monitor the extent to which the Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

Firearms: Licensing

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people with convictions for scheduled offences were granted a licence to carry a personal firearm in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Paul Goggins: The chief constable has advised me that the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Mobile Phones Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will make it their policy to introduce mobile phone recycling on the Parliamentary Estate.

Nick Harvey: Arrangements for the secure disposal of mobile phones provided for use by House staff are in place. This does not currently cover their recycling. The House authorities will review these arrangements with particular reference to the recent waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations and the responsibilities that suppliers now have. No arrangements are currently in place for phones belonging to Members and their staff but the aforementioned regulations will apply.
	The House already seeks to maximise re-use and recycling generally as a commitment in its waste policy. There are already facilities available for recycling batteries, including those used in mobile phones.

WALES

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department provides  (a) tax-free benefits and  (b) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: Wales Office staff are able to apply for an advance of salary (which is then deducted at source and is therefore tax-efficient) to purchase bicycles and safety equipment.
	The Wales Office does not have any non-departmental public bodies.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account she took of the First Report of the Environmental Audit Committee, Session 2007-08, on Are Biofuels Sustainable?, HC 76-I before requesting the Renewable Fuels Agency to carry out a review of biofuels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: New evidence has emerged in recent months on the net greenhouse gas benefits of certain types of biofuels. There is currently little consensus on much of this new evidence and there are widely diverging views on the sustainability of current and future biofuels targets. The Environmental Audit Committee's report is an example of this evidence and the report both contributed to the Secretary of State's decision to call the review and forms part of the evidence that will be used in the production of the review. The Government's response to the Environmental Audit Committee's report has been submitted to that Committee.

Bird and Bird

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts were awarded by her Department to Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 2005; and what the  (a) value and  (b) duration of each such contract was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following contracts have been awarded by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to Bird and Bird Solicitors since 2005:
	
		
			  Contract description  Contract start date / award date  Contract end date  Contract  v alue (exc. VAT) 
			 MOT computerisation contract management 17 March 2005 31 March 2007 337,747.93 
			 Legal services for Test Lane Refreshment Programme 13 July 2005 31 August 2008 99,887.25 
			 Ad-hoc strategic legal advice 14 June 2006 19 March 2008 7,813.84 
			 Legal Review of Transport for London Low Emission Zone Contract 20 January 2007 19 July 2007 31,112.95 
			 Commercial Data Exploitation Advice 1 February 2007 31July 2007 33,491.70 
		
	
	In addition work has been placed with Bird and Bird Solicitors by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) via OGC Buying Solution's legal services framework. This was to represent DVLA in relation to a dispute on the procurement of a Storage Area Network and associated equipment. The value of this work was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 34,645 
			 2006-07 21,478 
			 2007-08 1,122 
		
	
	The central Department placed a one off order with Bird and Bird Solicitors in January 2006 for professional charges associated with a DVO e-Learning system. The value of this work was £1,969.

Bus Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with local authorities on maintaining and extending the provision of free or subsidised bus shelters funded by advertising companies; and what assessment her Department has made of the role of well-positioned, well-maintained bus shelters in encouraging passengers to make use of local bus services.

Rosie Winterton: There have been no discussions between this Department and local authorities on the specific issue of maintaining and extending the provision of free or subsidised bus shelters funded by advertising companies.
	However, waiting for a bus, train or tram is accepted as part of a public transport journey so infrastructure provision at the point of boarding or alighting will affect user experience and demand. The physical waiting environment includes shelters, vehicle access, information provision, and the safety and security of the location.
	The Department has commissioned a detailed research project into a wide spectrum of factors that influence bus patronage, with particular reference to 'softer' factors, including the quality of the waiting environment, and the perceived safety of the walk to that point.
	The results are due by the end of this year, and will be used to inform operators and local authorities about the most effective packages of measures to increase patronage, including what value passengers place on the waiting or interchange environment.

Bus Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities in England have withdrawn concessionary fare schemes offering reduced fares for people with disabilities travelling before 9.30 am in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The Government are responsible for the statutory minimum concession that all travel concession authorities (TCAs) are required to provide. From 1 April this year, the statutory entitlement to concessionary travel is improved to give residents of England aged 60 or over and eligible disabled people free off-peak bus travel in any part of England. Off-peak is defined in legislation as 9.30 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday and at all times at weekends and bank holidays. TCAs have discretion to enhance its statutory minimum at their own expense. They can give residents concessionary travel beyond the statutory times or extend eligibility to other groups of people. Any decision to change these discretionary elements is a matter for individual TCAs and, as such, no record is kept centrally of such changes.
	As part of our monitoring of concessionary travel, the Department intends to carry out a survey of TCAs during summer 2008 to establish the range of local enhancements available at end of December 2007 and at end of June 2008. This will report in the autumn and provide an indication of the discretionary concessions that were withdrawn between these two dates and since the previous survey carried out in the summer of 2006.

Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments the Civil Aviation Authority made to  (a) Waterfront Public Affairs,  (b) Mandate Communications and  (c) AS Biss in each of the last five years; and on what dates and for what purpose the payment was made in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Civil Aviation Authority has advised that payments over the last five years to these companies were as follows:
	 Waterfront Public Affairs
	For parliamentary monitoring services.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 84,335.44 
			 2003-04 50,967.57 
			 2004-05 39,188.22 
			 2005-06 111,360.73 
			 2006-07 197,868.23 
			 Total 483,720.19 
		
	
	 AS Biss/Mandate
	For various services including press-cutting, advertisements, market research, editorial, public affairs and political consultancy.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 115,474.93 
			 2003-04 152,778.19 
			 2004-05 86,367.45 
			 2005-06 179,549.90 
			 2006-07 169,883.59 
			 Total 704,054.06

Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments the Northern Lighthouse Board made to Grayling Political Strategy in each of the last five years; and on what dates and for what purpose the payment was made in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Grayling Political Strategy has a contract with the Northern Lighthouse Board to provide the following services to highlight issues directly or indirectly affecting the board.
	1. provide full information, intelligence and advisory service covering the proceedings of (i) the Scottish Parliament, its Committees, the Scottish Government and the political parties in Scotland; (ii) the UK Parliament, its Committees, the UK Government and the political parties in UK; and (iii) the European Parliament, its Committees, and the European Commission;
	2. maintain a watching brief on issues directly or indirectly affecting the board in the Isle of Man by monitoring activities at Tynwald and the Manx Government; and
	3. monitor all UK National and Scottish and Manx newspapers and the  Edinburgh Gazette.
	The contract payment arrangement is for a flat rate monthly fee. Total payments over the last five years, including payments to Strategy in Scotland who were taken over by Grayling Political Strategy, were as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 18,000 
			 2004-05 20,017.50 
			 2005-06 20,538.75 
			 2006-07 32,180 
			 2007-08 50,398

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) her Department and  (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees.
	This scheme also enables other employers to purchase cycles and loan them to employees to support them in taking greener journeys to work.
	The Department also offers interest free loans up to £1,000 for the purchase of bikes to cycle to work, which is akin to the interest free loans for train season tickets. In addition, a commuter centre is available to staff to encourage greener commuting. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.
	The Civil Aviation Authority, which is a public corporation sponsored by the Department also offers the scheme to its employees. However, none of the Department's non-departmental public bodies offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. It is for each organisation to determine its own policy with regard to offering the scheme and encouraging greener travel.

Departmental Energy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department has taken to reduce its energy consumption in the last 12 months; and what her Department's expenditure on energy was in  (a) the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and  (b) the immediately preceding 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport engaged the Carbon Trust to conduct a Carbon Management Programme on the high impact areas of our estate. This was published in December 2007 and identifies a wide range of measures that can be undertaken to reduce energy consumption. The department is currently developing programmes to implement these recommendations in addition to a number of local initiatives that are already in place.
	The most recent period for which we have energy costs is 2006-07. Expenditure on energy was £4,866,886 during this period and for the preceding 12 months was £5,321,606.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by her in the last six months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures requested are set out in the table as follows.
	
		
			   Ordinary Written  Named-day 
			   Total questions due for answer  Percentage answered within agreed deadlines  Total questions due for answer  Percentage answered on due date 
			 October 245 85 102 88 
			 November 411 56 74 66 
			 December 202 70 53 52 
			 January 316 67 163 54 
			 February 350 56 88 62 
			 March 326 66 96 48 
		
	
	A breakdown of these figures by each hon. Member is not available.

Driving Tests

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many candidates were examined at each test centre in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 April 2008
	 The table has been placed in the Libraries of the House which shows the number of practical tests of all types taken at each DSA test centre in England from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. These figures identify the number of tests taken, not the number of candidates. This will include individuals who have taken the test on multiple occasions at the same or different test centres.

Driving Tests

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the likely number of candidates presenting at each test centre in England in each year to 2012.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 April 2008
	 The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) forecasts demand for tests nationally for three years ahead. These figures are published in the agency's business plan for 2008-09. DSA does not make forecasts of test demand for each driving test centre. Candidates are free to choose at which centre they prefer to take their test.

Driving: Standards

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her definition is of most customers as used in the Driving Standards Agency Code of Practice on Driving Consultations, Annex B, paragraph 3.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 April 2008
	Most customers is defined as more than 50 per cent. of candidates wanting access to a test centre in order to take their driving test.

Driving: Working Hours

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what exemptions from the road transport working time directive are to be allowed.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The European Regulation on drivers' hours (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006) provides a number of automatic exemptions and national derogations. The national derogations granted in Great Britain (GB) are set out in the Community Drivers' Hours and Recording Equipment Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1819).
	European Directive 2002/15/EC on the working time of mobile workers (drivers, crew and other travelling staff) operating on vehicles subject to the European Regulation on drivers' hours was implemented in GB by the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/639). The Regulations do not apply to mobile workers who only occasionally work in-scope of the rules and self-employed drivers (as defined in the Regulations).
	Copies of the legislation are available in the Libraries of the House.

Electronic Government

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which her Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We monitor items such as Freedom of Information requests; parliamentary questions; letters from MPs and the public addressed to Ministers; and emails received in email addresses on the Department's website. We do not however carry out systematic quantitative monitoring of general electronic communication from individual email addresses in the department.
	Our general aim in correspondence and publishing, both internally and externally, is to reduce paper consumption and to communicate electronically whenever it is both possible and appropriate. The volume of items we publish electronically on the Department's website has grown significantly in recent years.

Motorcycles: Training

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that riders of motorcycles with an engine capacity of under 50cc have undertaken compulsory basic training.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A motorcycle with an engine capacity of under 50cc is classed as a moped. Learner moped riders must undertake a compulsory basic training course before they can ride on the road. This is a legal requirement specified in the Road Traffic Acts. Once a course has been successfully completed, a rider is issued with a certificate. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will update the rear of the persons photocard licence on successful completion of the course to show code 122. Any persons riding on the road who ignore this training requirement are committing an offence and are liable to prosecution.

Public Transport: Concessions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of the nationwide concessionary fare scheme on  (a) the level of eligibility set by local authorities and  (b) the level of access by disabled people.

Rosie Winterton: The criteria for eligibility for the statutory minimum concession are set out in statute supported by revised guidance recently issued by the Department.
	The Transport Act 2000 (or for those resident in London, the Greater London Authority Act 1999) makes provision for concessionary travel to a wide range of disabled people. Categories of disability were drawn up following representation from local government and support from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. The people eligible are as follows:
	any person who:
	is blind or partially sighted;
	is profoundly or severely deaf;
	is without speech;
	has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to walk;
	does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms;
	has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning or;
	would, if he/she applied for a grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his/her application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
	Travel concession authorities (TCAs) continue to be responsible for administering concessionary travel schemes for their residents, assessing eligibility and issuing passes. They remain able to offer travel concessions on a more generous basis than that specified as the statutory minimum.
	As the England-wide statutory minimum was introduced on 1 April it is too soon to assess the effect of its introduction, but as part of our monitoring of concessionary travel the Department intends to carry out a survey of TCAs during summer 2008. This may include details of which authorities choose to offer more generous concessions and is due to report in the autumn.

Roads: Cameras

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maximum penalty which can be imposed for vandalism of a road safety camera is.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	Vandalism to safety cameras constitutes criminal damage, the maximum penalty for which is 10 years' imprisonment.

Roads: Satellite Navigation Systems

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will consult the producers of satellite navigation systems to discuss the display of routes unsuitable for motorised vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Responsibility for recommending routes via satellite navigation systems lies with system providers. However, the Department for Transport is supporting a Network Management Board sub-group that aims to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to consider how best to address the issue of inappropriate routeing. The Department has also conducted initial public consultation as part of a review of route guidance system issues.

Rolling Stock: Thameslink

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the new carriages for Thameslink announced on 9th April 2008 are in addition to the new carriages announced in July in the White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway.

Tom Harris: holding answer 28 April 2008
	Some of the new vehicles for Thameslink are a component of the 1,300 new vehicles announced in July 2007 in the White Paper 'Delivering a Sustainable Railway' which committed a high level output statement (HLOS) for the railways. However, Thameslink and the HLOS have overlapping timescales. The HLOS vehicles are required to be delivered by March 2014. The final complete fleet of new Thameslink vehicles are required to be in service by December 2015.
	By December 2015, the full 1,100 vehicles will be in use on Thameslink routes. This represents a net increase in the number of vehicles on the network, over and above HLOS commitments. The precise number of net, additional vehicles resulting from the Thameslink programme will depend on the contracted delivery profile of the new Thameslink vehicles.

Taylor Nelson Sofres

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value of contracts awarded to Taylor Nelson Sofres by her Department was in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002. Since this date the Department has not awarded any contracts to Taylor Nelson Sofres.

Traffic Management Act 2004

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations underlay the decisions to introduce permits under the Traffic Management Act 2004; what baseline data she plans to collect in respect of these permits; and whether she plans to review the operation of these permits.

Rosie Winterton: The Government wanted to provide local authorities with additional tools for managing works on their road network and minimising unnecessary disruption to road users. Permit schemes can accomplish this by enabling traffic managers to positively control all works activities carried out on their network by both utility companies and highway authorities, in the interests of road users.
	The Department is committed to reviewing permit schemes and we will do this after the first full year of scheme operation. This review will provide evidence to determine whether permit schemes are delivering the expected benefits and whether permit fee levels are appropriate.
	The data required to establish the baseline in respect to permit schemes will be taken from the noticing information exchanged between highway authorities and statutory undertakers, together with additional information recorded on highway authorities' local registers.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what specific matters her Department's Environment Directorate is examining in pursuance of their sub-objective to tackle the climate change impacts of transport through putting a price on carbon.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The functions of the Environment and International Directorate of the Department for Transport include the management of the Department's programme on climate change and the delivery of certain, but not all, individual policy elements of that programme. Some specific matters which bear upon the price of carbon in relation to transport are:
	fiscal measures such as fuel duty, vehicle excise duty, and company car tax (taxation policy is a matter for the Chancellor);
	mandatory European targets for new car CO2 emissions, the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, European biofuel regulations;
	inclusion of transport in emissions trading schemes at both global and regional levels e.g. through the International Maritime Organisation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the European Union;
	taking account of the shadow price of carbon in transport appraisal and decision making.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax: Students

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 28 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 920-21W, on council tax, whether she  (a) has made and  (b) plans to make changes to the operation of student council tax exemption for grant calculation purposes.

John Healey: I announced the 2008-09 and provisional 2009-10 and 2010-11 settlements on the 24 January 2008. The taxbase projections used in the calculation of these settlements reflect a change to use the average of student council tax exemption numbers from counts as at 31 May 2007 and 8 October 2007, rather than use a count solely as at 8 October 2007. The full calculation is shown in the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2008-09 (HC262) approved by the House on 4 February 2008.

Councillors: Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what records her Department holds of the local authorities which have introduced pensions for councillors.

John Healey: Central Government does not collect this information.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) her Department and  (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not currently offer a Cycle to Work scheme to its employees. Nor does it offer any other tax-free benefits in kind to encourage green commuting. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.
	Information on whether any of the Department's non-departmental public bodies operate a Cycle to Work scheme is not held centrally.

Digital Broadcasting: Television

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of the DigiTV Project originally sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

John Healey: The DigiTV Project began in 2002 as part of the then ODPM's Local eGovernment Programme. Although this programme and the Department's involvement ended in April 2006, DigiTV continues under the ownership of Kirklees council. It is currently being used to deliver local services via digital television and mobile phones to citizens in 74 local authority areas.

Electronic Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much she has allocated to the London Connects e-Government regional partnerships since inception.

John Healey: From 2002-06, the London Connects regional partnership received £1,510,000 in Local e-Government Programme capital funding.

Energy Performance Certificates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to use data from energy performance certificates on non-domestic dwellings to inform non-domestic rates valuations.

John Healey: None.

Geographical Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library copies of the original datasets used to calculate the geographical barriers sub-domain in the English Indices of Deprivation 2000, including data for each electoral ward of  (a) road distance to a general practitioner surgery,  (b) road distance to a general store or supermarket,  (c) road distance to a primary school and  (d) road distance to a post office or sub post office.

John Healey: This Department does not hold the underlying data that were used in the construction of the English Indices of Deprivation 2000.

Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average dwelling size of new homes was  (a) in the latest period for which figures are available and  (b) in each previous year for which figures are available; and whether such figures are broken down by (i) social and (ii) private sector dwellings.

Iain Wright: We do not have information on dwelling size but do have data on numbers of bedrooms. The following table shows the proportions of new build completions in England by number of bedrooms for private dwellings and registered social landlord dwellings. The information is presented as proportions not absolute numbers because number of bedrooms has been collected centrally for only about half of the new build activity since 2001-02.
	
		
			  Proportion of dwellings by tenure and number of bedrooms 
			  Percentage of all dwellings 
			   Financial year 
			  All dwellings  1991-92  1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000 
			  Private enterprise  
			 1 bedroom 15 13 11 9 8 6 5 5 5 
			 2 bedrooms 31 31 30 29 28 26 24 24 24 
			 3 bedrooms 31 33 35 36 36 37 38 37 36 
			 4 or more bedrooms 23 22 24 26 28 31 32 35 35 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			   
			  Registered social landlords  
			 1 bedroom 39 34 25 21 20 21 19 18 20 
			 2 bedrooms 41 40 45 45 45 44 42 44 44 
			 3 bedrooms 18 23 28 30 31 32 33 33 32 
			 4 or more bedrooms 2 3 3 4 4 4 6 5 5 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			   
			  All tenures  
			 1 bedroom 19 17 14 12 11 8 7 7 7 
			 2 bedrooms 32 33 33 32 32 29 27 27 26 
			 3 bedrooms 29 31 33 34 35 36 38 36 35 
			 4 or more bedroom 20 19 19 22 23 26 28 30 32 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of all dwellings 
			   Financial year 
			  All dwellings  2000-01  2001-02( 1)  2002-03( 1)  2003-04( 1)  2004-05( 1)  2005-06( 1)  2006-07( 1) 
			  Private Enterprise
			 1 bedroom 5 6 6 8 9 9 9 
			 2 bedrooms 24 24 28 32 37 41 40 
			 3 bedrooms 35 31 30 29 29 28 28 
			 4 or more bedrooms 36 39 36 32 25 22 22 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			  Registered social landlords
			 1 bedroom 19 17 17 14 18 19 24 
			 2 bedrooms 46 49 45 54 52 56 56 
			 3 bedrooms 30 28 29 25 24 21 17 
			 4 or more bedrooms 5 5 9 7 5 4 3 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 
			  All tenures
			 1 bedroom 7 7 6 8 10 10 11 
			 2 bedrooms 27 25 29 33 38 42 42 
			 3 bedrooms 34 31 30 29 28 27 27 
			 4 or more bedroom 32 37 34 30 23 21 20 
			 All 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 (1) Figures for 2001-02 onwards are based on only half of the new build activity.

Housing: Disabled

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Enfield Borough Council spent on improving homes for disabled people in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 928-29W.

Housing: Mortgages

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent meetings she has had with the Local Government Association to discuss the potential effects of mortgage foreclosures on local housing demand.

Caroline Flint: I have had no such meetings with the Local Government Association but I have asked discussions to be held at official level with regard to the potential effects of mortgage foreclosures on local housing demand.

Licensed Premises: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 509-10W, on valuation: licensed premises, if she will place an updated copy of Volume 5 of the Rating Manual in the Library.

John Healey: Work on updating The Rating Manual section on public houses, licensed restaurants and wine bars has not yet been completed. When the work is complete it will be published on the Valuation Office Agency's website to replace the existing section.

Local Authorities: Pay

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what pay scales for chief executives of local authorities are rated by the Audit Commission as poor;
	(2)  what pay scales for chief executives of local authorities are judged by the Audit Commission to be fair.

John Healey: It is a matter for the individual councils to determine the pay for their chief executives.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provisions of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 have yet to be  (a) commenced and  (b) implemented.

John Healey: Section 245 of the Act sets out which provisions were commenced at Royal Assent on 30 October 2007, and which were commenced on 30 December 2007. All remaining provisions have or will be commenced by order. There have been five such orders to date which apply to England. The note annexed to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Commencement No 5 and Transitional, Saving and Transitory Provision) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 2008/917) sets out the provisions which have so far been commenced. The planned timetable for implementing relevant policies is set out in the latest version of the White Paper implementation plan which was published on 1 November 2007. A further version will be published shortly.

Local Government: Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the long-term solvency of the Local Government Pension Scheme following the March 2007 valuation.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) on 28 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 66-67W.

National Muslim Women's Advisory Group

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what issues have been discussed in her meetings with the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group; and what steps have been taken as a result of these meetings.

Hazel Blears: The first meeting with the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group was held in November 2007, prior to the launch which was on 31 January 2008. It was an introductory meeting for both the Secretary of State and the advisory group members. This meeting set the context for the group's involvement and identified what key areas and issues the group would be interested to get involved in over the coming year. It was agreed that it was important to ensure that Muslim women received positive media and were engaging with Muslim women from all parts of society. As a result Communities and Local Government has organised media training and will be offering the group leadership training in May 2008.
	The second meeting was held in March 2008. This meeting provided the Secretary of State with an update of the challenges and issues faced by the group in their regions. The group also agreed the terms of reference and an operating structure that they would work within. The group identified the priority areas they wanted to work on and are in the process of working up an action plan for 2008-09.
	In order for the group to produce a robust and challenging action plan, a facilitated away day has been organised in May 2008. The action plan will set out key objectives that the group will aim to achieve in their first year, details of which will be released in May 2008.

Non-Domestic Rates: Appeals

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) Government departments and  (b) executive agencies have made a business rates challenge or appeal to the (i) Valuation Office Agency and (ii) Valuation Tribunal Service in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Valuation officers and valuation tribunals do not specifically identify proposals or appeals as coming from Government Departments or executive agencies but simply record the name of the person or body making the proposal/appeal. The information requested cannot, therefore, be provided without disproportionate cost.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for work on the 2010 business rates revaluation in England and Wales.

John Healey: The Antecedent Valuation Date of 1 April 2008 has already been set by regulation and the Valuation Office Agency has started work on assessing new rateable values. Draft 2010 rateable values will be published in the autumn of 2009, with final valuations being published on 1 April 2010. The timetable for Wales is the responsibility of Welsh Ministers.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the purpose and function is of the QE2 Conference Centre's meeting matrix database.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Queen Elizabeth II conference centre (QEIICC) is one of London's leading venues for professional meetings and events. The QEIICC is continuously looking to offer its clients additional means of support and flexibility to organise meetings as efficiently as possible. Meeting Matrix provides both the event planner and the conference centre with invaluable tools that create simple and accurate diagrams of the conference rooms customised to clients' requirements.
	With the addition of the Meeting Matrix space rendering package, a meeting planner will also be able to view their selected conference spaces in 3D. This facility will enable the QEIICC's commercial team to more easily convert inquiries into confirmed bookings.

Regional Planning and Development: Greenbelt

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local planning authorities the Government Office for the South East has instructed to review their green belt boundaries as part of their local development framework.

Iain Wright: The Government Office for the South East (GOSE) has not instructed any local planning authorities to review their Green Belt boundaries as part of their local development framework. The Government's policy on green belts is set out in planning policy guidance note 2 (PPG2): Green Belts. PPG2 advises that up-to-date approved boundaries in development plans are essential, to provide certainty as to where green belt policies do and do not apply and to enable the proper consideration of future development options. When drawing green belt boundaries in development plans local planning authorities should take account of the need to promote sustainable patterns of development.

Social Rented Housing: Disabled

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what means of redress are available to social housing tenants who have parents, partners or children with disabilities whose needs are not being accommodated by their social landlord.

Iain Wright: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 places a duty on all public authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to promote disability equality. They have to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
	Social housing tenants who live with disabled relatives, and are living in a property which does not meet their needs can apply for a transfer or request that their current home be adapted to meet their needs. Under the statutory allocations framework, housing authorities must give 'reasonable preference' to existing tenants who need to move on medical or welfare grounds. Local authorities are responsible for arranging the provision of adaptation works or additional facilities. Disabled social tenants can apply for the disabled facilities grant (DFG), a mandatory entitlement across all tenures, to help fund the provision of adaptations or additional facilities. Local authorities have the discretion to decide whether to means test the DFG for their tenants or to make an increased payment for the adaptation.
	Where the local authority decides that the tenant does not have any priority under their allocations scheme for a transfer, the tenant has the right to request a review of that decision. Secure tenants should refer any complaint to the local government ombudsman, and housing association tenants to the housing ombudsman service. In addition, they can contact their local councillor about their concerns.

Standards Board for England: Complaints

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 14 March 2008,  Official Report, column 705W, on Standards Board for England: complaints, how many complaints were made to the Standards Board in 2007-08; and how many were upheld  (a) in whole or  (b) in part.

Parmjit Dhanda: In total, 3,547 complaints were received by the Standards Board for England in 2007-08. Of these, 524 were referred for investigation after initial assessment by the Standards Board for England. Of these 524, 285 were sent to local authority monitoring officers for them to investigate, 223 were dealt with by the Standards Board's ethical standards officer. The remaining 16 cases have yet to be allocated.
	Of the 223 cases, the ethical standards officers' investigations found that in 200 cases the complaint was unfounded or that no action was required. 10 were found to be sufficiently serious to be referred to the Adjudication Panel for determination. Of these 10, in one case there was found to be no breach, two cases resulted in a suspension for up to six months and the remaining seven cases resulted in disqualifications for periods between six months and five years.
	The remaining 15 cases were referred to the monitoring officer of the relevant local authority.
	Information on matters referred to councils, including cases referred for investigation, is not held centrally.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's file (a) CPO 2/25 Lord Braine of Wheatley's Partial Birth Abortion (Prohibition) Bill and (b) CPO 2/29 David Amess's Abortion (Amendment) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: To release the information contained in these files would entail manually checking and redacting each of the files which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Bird and Bird

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts were awarded by his Department to Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 2005; and what the  (a) value and  (b) duration of each such contract was.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on contracts in the format requested. To do so would attract disproportionate cost.

Blood

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of blood were collected by the National Blood Service in England and Wales in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08, broken down by local authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table gives the number of units of blood collected in England and north Wales.
	
		
			   Units of blood collected( 1) (million) 
			 2003-04 2,296 
			 2004-05 2,155 
			 2005-06 2,039 
			 2006-07 1,971 
			 2007-08 1,927 
			 (1) These figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 
		
	
	The National Blood Service is unable to provide a breakdown by local authority area.
	These figures include certain categories of specialist donation, such as neo-natal, rare blood sub-types and mobile component donation.

Blood

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the blood collection level of each geographical area in England and Wales was assessed to be by the review of the National Blood Service Strategy, broken down by (i) percentage of donors in the population in each area and (ii) number of times donors give blood in a given period.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Blood Service (NBS) has provided the information shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Region( 1)  Donor penetration in population (percentage)  Average frequency of donation( 2) 
			 Anglia 4.4 1.50 
			 London 3.6 1.15 
			 North and Yorkshire 4.7 1.36 
			 North-west 3.6 1.25 
			 South 4.7 1.36 
			 South-east 4.0 1.37 
			 South-west 5.6 1.25 
			 Trent 4.7 1.41 
			 West midlands 3.6 1.62 
			 (1) The regions are based on NBS definitions not standard Government regions. (2) Average number of donations per registered donor per year.

Chlamydia: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the mathematical modelling referred to on the National Chlamydia Screening Programme's web page on the local delivery plan monitoring line, which indicates that a higher proportion of the 16 to 24-year-old population will need to be screened to make a serious impact and reduce the disease burden.

Dawn Primarolo: A copy of 'Modelling the effectiveness of chlamydia screening in England' has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Contracts

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts were held by  (a) YouGov,  (b) ICM,  (c) Gallup,  (d) GfK NOP,  (e) Rasmussen,  (f) ComRes and  (g) Opinion Leader Research with his Department in the financial year 2007-08; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost to the public purse was of each contract.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on contracts in the format requested. To do so would attract disproportionate cost.
	A new system will now be introduced on 1 July 2008 called SHOWA, which will be able to gather such future but not retrospective information for the Department.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based.

Ann Keen: The last published resource accounts for the NHS Pension Scheme are those for the year ending 31 March 2007 when the estimated liabilities were £218 billion. The discount rate changed from a real rate of 2.8 per cent. to a real rate of 1.8 per cent. (5.37 per cent. to 4.6 per cent. including inflation) from 31 March 2007. The demographic assumptions adopted for the assessments are derived from the specific experience of the membership of the scheme to 31 March 2003, and other similar large public service schemes where some aspect of the experience is not readily available.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91.

Ann Keen: Information from 1996-97 to 2006-07, the latest year that pension scheme accounts for the NHS Pension Scheme (England and Wales) are available, is shown in the following table. Comparable information is not available for the years 1990-91 to 1995-96.
	There have been various changes in the method of calculation over the years. These include amending the discount rate in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and updating the assumptions on longevity. Direct year-on-year comparisons are therefore not entirely meaningful.
	
		
			   £ billion 
			 1996-97 60.9 
			 1997-98 64.0 
			 1998-99 67.2 
			 1999-2000 72.2 
			 2000-01 75.0 
			 2001-02 86.8 
			 2002-03 94.6 
			 2003-04 104.2 
			 2004-05 131.4 
			 2005-06 165.4 
			 2006-07 218.0 
			  Source:  National Health Service Appropriation Accounts and NHS Pension Scheme Resource Accounts.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the effect on his Department's expenditure would be of increasing the employee contribution to each pension scheme for which his Department is responsible by 1 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Increasing the member contribution for the NHS Pension Scheme by 1 per cent. across the board would yield approaching £330 million per annum to the scheme, based on a pensionable payroll of approaching £33 billion over the 12 months to 31 March 2007.
	Until 31 March 2008 the NHS Pension Scheme contribution rate was six per cent. of pensionable pay, however, members classed as manual workers paid five per cent. Employees' contribution rates to the NHS Pension Scheme have been increased from 1 April 2008 as shown in the following table. This will produce an estimated yield of about 6.5 per cent. an increase of about 0.5 per cent. over the previous contribution structure. There is no change to the Department's expenditure from this increase.
	
		
			  Pensionable pay  Contribution rate ( percentage ) 
			 Up to and including £19,682 5 
			 £19,683 to £65,002 (linked to Agenda for Change pay point 17) 6.5 
			 £65,003 to £102,499 (linked to Agenda for Change pay point 49) 7.5 
			 £102,500 to any higher amount 8.5

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department publishes annual salary, allowances, benefits and pensions information for members of its Departmental Management Board in its Annual Resource Accounts. Copies of the 2006-07 resource accounts are available in the Library and are also available at the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_081317
	The cash equivalent transfer value of the Department's 10 highest paid permanent members of staff in post as at 31 March 2007 was £6,867,000.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time posts were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in his Department in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department employs temporary staff of various kinds for a number of reasons, including:
	to cover short term vacancies, such as the need for administrative support;
	to fill posts temporarily because they are likely to be relocated or because structural changes are being implemented;
	to provide skills that the Department does not have but needs urgently and/or on a short-term basis; and
	in the case of secondments into the organisation, to support the development of staff in other organisations where there is also a business benefit for the Department in doing so.
	The Department does not separately identify the type of post that is being filled on a temporary basis. The figures provided therefore cover all instances of posts being filled temporarily.
	The numbers of civil servants employed on a temporary basis for more than six months in each of the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  As at 1 October to 30 September each year  Number 
			 2006-07 23 
			 2005-06 29 
			 2004-05 59 
		
	
	The number of posts filled on temporary promotion by people who had been in such roles for at least six months as at 30 September 2007 was 55. Figures before this date do not identify the length of a temporary promotion.
	The number of secondments into the Department as at 30 September 2007 was 57. Their length of service is not available, but the vast majority are likely to have been employed for more than six months.
	The Department does not record the length of service of temporary agency staff, but the vast majority will be short-term appointments of less than six months.

Departmental Working Hours

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hours  (a) in total and  (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Full-time staff in the Department are contracted to work 41 hours gross per week (36 hours net per week) in London and 42 hours gross per week (37 hours net per week) outside London. Around 10 per cent. of the Department's staff work part-time, and are contracted to work fewer hours than their full time colleagues. The Department does not record actual hours worked by employees. However the Department's 2007 staff survey, which was completed by well over half of staff, suggested that 25 per cent. of staff worked contracted hours, 45 per cent. worked one to five hours in excess of contracted hours, 19 per cent. of staff six to 10 hours in excess and 11 per cent. of staff more than 10 hours in excess.

E. Coli

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence was of  (a) E. coli and  (b) salmonella poisoning in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of United Kingdom-acquired  Escherichia Coli ( E. coli) 0157 and  Salmonella infections are given in the following table. The most recent data available are from 2006.
	
		
			   E.  coli 0157  Salmonella 
			 2004 818 11,791 
			 2005(1) 1,019 9,835 
			 2006(2) 1,146 11,079 
			 (1) Provisional data July 2006. (2) Provisional data July 2007.  Source:  Health Protection Agency, Health Protection Scotland, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Northern Ireland)

Food Standards Agency: Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what pension scheme is offered to staff joining the Food Standards Agency; what the rate of employer contributions to the scheme is; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the terms and benefits of the scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: New entrants to the civil service, including those joining the Food Standards Agency, are covered by the civil service pension arrangements. Staff can choose between 'nuvos', a defined benefit pension scheme and 'partnership', a stakeholder pension. If a person is being re-employed, and was previously a member of a civil service pension scheme, they may be able to rejoin their previous scheme, but this will depend on the length of time since they were last employed.
	In respect of members of the defined benefit schemes, employer contribution rates are assessed for each of four ranges of pay levels. A separate rate is payable in respect of a group of prison officers who have certain reserved rights. The rates for 2008-09 are:
	
		
			  Band  Full-time annual salary  Rate from 1 April 2008 (Percentage) 
			 Band 1 £19,500 and under 17.1 
			 Band 2 £19,501 to £40,500 19.5 
			 Band 3 £40,501 to £69,000 23.2 
			 Band 4 £69,001 and above 25.5 
			 Prison officers with reserved rights (pre-fresh start) (Percentage) 26.5 
		
	
	The scheme rules are laid before Parliament and copies of the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme are available in the Library.
	For members of the "partnership scheme", the employer pays a basic contribution of between 3 per cent. and 12.5 per cent. (depending on the age of the member) into a stakeholder pension product and will match the member's contribution up to a limit of 3 per cent. Employers also contribute a further 0.8 per cent. of pensionable salary to cover the cost of risk benefit cover (death in service and ill health retirement).
	Details of the civil service pension arrangements can be found on the civil service pensions website at:
	www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk.

General Practitioners: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time general practitioners were employed by Peterborough Primary Care Trust and its predecessor in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format.
	Most of the general practitioners (GPs) working in the general medical services are independent contractors providing services for primary care trusts (PCTs) under contract, rather than being employed by the PCT. By September 2007 the number of GPs nationally had increased by 5,318, and by 543 in the East of England Strategic Health Authority area since September 1997.
	The following table shows the number of GPs for the Peterborough PCT area from 2001-07.
	
		
			  General medical practitioners: Full time and part time for selected areas, as at 30 September for each specified year. 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Peterborough PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 94 98 
			  O f which:
			 Full-time n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 87 86 
			 Part-time n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 7 12 
			 North Peterborough PCT 55 57 60 61 59 n/a n/a 
			  O f which:
			 Full-time 52 54 57 58 56 n/a n/a 
			 Part-time 3 3 3 3 3 n/a n/a 
			 South Peterborough PCT 53 52 56 61 65 n/a n/a 
			  O f which:
			 Full-time 44 39 45 51 54 n/a n/a 
			 Part-time 9 13 11 10 11 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Data not available.  Note:  Peterborough PCT was created on 1 October 2006 following a complete merger of North Peterborough PCT and a part merger of South Peterborough PCT. The rest of South Peterborough was split between Cambridge PCT and Northampton PCT. Due to this part merger, data from 2006 onwards is not directly comparable with data for 2001- 05.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to provide for the safety of GPs and their staff who will be working extended hours under the proposed new GP contract.

Ben Bradshaw: The interim guidance on implementing the arrangements for general practitioner practices to extend their opening hours, issued by the Department on 18 April, reminds primary care trusts that staff and patient safety is a priority, and asks them to consider, where they identify a need, how to mitigate identified risks when practices extend their hours.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to address the requirement for out-of-hours childcare for GPs and their staff working extended hours under the proposed new GP contract.

Ben Bradshaw: Most general practitioners' practices are self-employed contractors and are responsible for their own child care arrangements. Child care arrangements for staff employed by practices are a matter for discussion for the employer.

Human-Animal Hybrid Embryos

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has provided on the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials have had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  under what legislative provisions the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority issued a licence to the University of Newcastle to create human-animal hybrid embryos; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) granted licences for two research projects involving the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos in accordance with its interpretation of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended. The HFEA has a duty to consider applications that come before it and undertook a public consultation before making its decisions.
	The decisions were entirely a matter for the HFEA. Neither Ministers nor departmental officials influenced the decisions in any way.

Mass Media

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments his Department makes of media coverage of  (a) his Department,  (b) the NHS,  (c) departmental ministers and  (d) health and social care.

Ben Bradshaw: Press officers assess media coverage of departmental announcements and major health stories on a regular basis, and advise ministers and officials accordingly. The findings of a communications research programme into national and regional media evaluations, undertaken between December 2004 and November 2006, are published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/FreedomOfInformation/Freedomofinformationpublicationschemefeedback/Classesofinformation/Communicationsresearch/index.htm

Meat: EU Law

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the implementation of Annex III, section V, Chapter III, point 2 (B) to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 on minced meat.

Dawn Primarolo: We are fully supportive of regulatory measures to ensure that business operators produce safe food. Paragraph 2(b), Chapter III, Section V, Annex III of Regulation (EC) 853/2004 sets out prescriptive requirements concerning the statutory time limits after slaughter for the production of minced meat in approved establishments. These requirements prevent the production of mince from carcases that have been matured, as has been the tradition in the United Kingdom. There is no scientific basis to support these requirements, which are in addition to microbiological criteria which prevent unsafe mince from being placed on the market. The Food Standards Agency is working with stakeholders including industry and the European Commission to agree a way forward on this issue.

NHS: Circulars

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Health Service Circular/Local Authority Circular HSC 2001/016:LAC(2001)23, which was due for review in 2004,  (a) is still in force and  (b) has been amended.

Ivan Lewis: This health service circular was cancelled in 2004, but we expect councils to continue to apply the principles of good practice that were enshrined in the guidance. Copies of the health service circular have been placed in the Library.
	"Valuing People Now: From Progress to Transformation" (published in December 2007) sets out the delivery priorities for people with learning disabilities for the next three years. These are about people having control over their lives and services, including what they do during the day, how they can be supported to access jobs, housing, and better health care and of course making sure that this change happens. Copies of this publication have also been placed in the Library. The consultation is now closed and the responses are being analysed.

NHS: Hearing Impaired

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients waited more than six weeks for  (a) an initial NHS hearing assessment and  (b) a follow-up NHS hearing aid assessment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: Latest available data for February 2008 show there were 8,295 patients waiting longer than six weeks for all audiology assessments, including initial and follow-up hearing assessments. This represents a reduction of some 92 per cent. (from 101,335) since April 2006.

NHS: Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) service providers on their use of numbers with the prefix (i) 0845 and (ii) 087.

Ben Bradshaw: General medical services (CMS) contractors were banned from using premium rate numbers (09 or 087) via The National Health Service (Primary Medical Services) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations SI 2005 No. 893. The ban came into force in April 2005 but did not include 084 numbers.
	On 19 December 2006 the Department wrote to primary care trust chief executives advising them that the Department was reviewing the use of non-geographical telephone numbers in light of the consultation carried out by Ofcom; and re-iterating the Government's position that
	"patients should not be expected to pay more than the equivalent of a local call".
	The Department is currently gathering evidence on the use of 0844 numbers in general practice and will consider what further action is necessary in light of that evidence.

NHS: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to extend uptake data collection methods to all treatments recommended for use on the NHS by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department provides support for centrally collected vaccine uptake data collections, and this is extended as new vaccines are added to the routine childhood vaccination programme.

NHS: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has carried out into variations in the levels of uptake of therapies recommended for use on the NHS by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department commissions a regular face-to-face survey conducted among parents to gauge current attitudes and perceptions of disease, immunisations and sources of information. The findings are used to help shape and inform future policy and communications with parents.
	We also conduct a regular survey among general practitioners, practice nurses and health visitors on child immunisation. This research aims to gauge their information and training needs, what advice is given to parents and any personal concerns they may have. Feedback from these surveys helps us to better understand and respond to issues on the immunisation programme that health professionals may have.

NHS: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on improving healthcare providers' levels of compliance with JCVI guidance.

Dawn Primarolo: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation discuss data on the uptake of vaccines in the routine national programme at every meeting. This data is published by PCT in the annual national statistics "NHS Immunisation Statistics England".

OLYMPICS

Ipsos MORI

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what payments her Office made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport on 14 March 2008,  Official Report, column 650W.

Olympic Games 2012

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which stakeholders were consulted prior to the publication of the Olympic Legacy Action Plan.

Tessa Jowell: The Legacy Action Plan has been developed in close consultation with a side range of stakeholders including:
	Arts Council England
	British Council
	British Olympic Association
	British Paralympics Association
	Construction Skills
	Commission for a Sustainable London 2012
	Design for London
	Greater London Authority
	5 London 2012 Host Boroughs (Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest)
	Job Centre Plus
	Learning and Skills Council
	London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
	London Development Agency
	London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
	Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
	Olympic Delivery Authority
	Overseas Development Institute
	People 1st
	PODIUM
	The Royal Parks
	Sector Skills Development Agency
	Skills Active
	Skills Set
	Sport England
	UK Film Council
	UK School Games
	UK Sport
	UK Trade and Investment
	Visit Britain
	Youth Sport Trust
	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
	Department for Children, Schools and Families
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department for Foreign and Commonwealth
	Department for Health
	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
	Department for International Development
	Department for Transport
	Department for Work and Pensions
	HM Treasury
	Home Office
	Office for the Third Sector
	We also conducted quantitative and qualitative research, including the consultation of a UK-wide sample of 2,315 adults.

Olympic Games 2012: Ceremonies

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what role she plans for local community dance groups in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) will be developing its plans for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in due course. It is too early to say which organisations will take part in these events in four years' time. However, the Cultural Olympiad provides opportunities for local community dance groups to take part in and enjoy the London games in the run up to and including 2012. Information and opportunities for involvement will be highlighted on the London 2012 website:
	www.london2012.com

Olympic Games 2012: Education

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will consider the merits of creating an out-of-classroom education facility as part of the 2012 Olympic legacy programme.

Tessa Jowell: Education provision will be considered as part of the Legacy Masterplan Framework (LMF) work programme, and the Government continue to consider a range of possibilities for an educational legacy, including an out-of-classroom education facility.
	The sustainable legacy for the Olympic Park site and surrounding communities will include new housing; sporting, retail and entertainment facilities; and supporting social infrastructure, including educational facilities. The London Development Agency (as interim legacy client) and Olympic Delivery Authority are working with partners including Government, the host boroughs and local communities to produce the LMF by early 2009, which will set out a vision for the Olympic Park, and the broad provision of facilities and infrastructure within it.

Olympic Games: China

Harry Cohen: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent representations the Government has made to the International Olympic Committee on China's commitments relating to improvements in human rights and democracy with regard to the hosting of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Tessa Jowell: The Government's priority is to raise human rights concerns directly with the Chinese Government, both bilaterally and through the European Union, not through the IOC. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary discussed human rights during their respective visits to China in January and February. I raised human rights, and, in particular, media freedom during my visit to China in November 2007, and during Chinese Vice Minister Cai Mingzhao's visit to the UK in March 2008.
	When I visited China in September 2006, I strongly encouraged the Chinese Government to consider a liberalisation of media regulations. On 1 January 2007 the Chinese Government temporarily lifted restrictions on travel and the requirement to seek official permission for interviews for foreign journalists, up to and during the 2008 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. We hope these regulations will be fully implemented in all regions and that they will remain in place after the games and be extended to China's domestic journalists. We have urged China to consider this.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Cabinet Office supports the use of green transport and offers an interest free advance of salary to purchase bicycles and accessories to its staff.

National Archives: Consolidated Communications

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what payments National Archives made to Consolidated Communications in each of the last five years; and on what date and for what purpose in each case.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	Consolidated Communications has undertaken work for The National Archives on one occasion over the last five years. A total of £13,672.20 (excluding VAT) was paid for work between July and December 2006 undertaken to support the launch of "Living Information: A New Vision for The National Archives" in July 2007. They were paid in three instalments between November 2006 and May 2007.

Voluntary Work

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  if he will hold discussions with Volunteering England over the proposal in the Goldsmith Report on Citizenship: Our Common Bond to offer council tax rebates for volunteering activities;
	(2)  if he will hold discussions with the National Union of Students on the proposal in the Goldsmith Report on Citizenship: Our Common Bond to reduce university fees for students who volunteer.

Phil Hope: The Government welcome the recommendations made by Lord Goldsmith in Citizenship: Our Common Bond. We are interested in his proposals to encourage and support volunteering. Officials within the Cabinet Office will consider the recommendations, consulting with other Government Departments and stakeholders, such as Volunteering England and the National Union of Students, as appropriate.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Although the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills does not offer the Cycle to Work scheme it does offer an alternative scheme to its employees. This scheme also supports employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling employees to purchase a bike. This arrangement does not extend to the Department's non-departmental public bodies.
	Neither the Department nor its non-departmental public bodies offer any other tax free benefits in kind to employees. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.

Mature Students: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to  (a) 25 to 30-years-olds and  (b) 25 to 35-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of 19 to 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course in respect of tuition fees; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 29 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 296-97W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Biofuels

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research and development into biogas production and trials for farmers.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 2000, DEFRA has spent £720,000 on research and development into biogas production. Current work includes the UK contribution to a EU FP7 Biogas project (£300,000 over four years). This project is due to complete in 2010 and will result in a synthesis of information required to assess the development of a sustainable biogas industry in the UK.

Agriculture: Employment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review labour strategies for farm work, with particular reference to the supply of farm labour from overseas.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government fully appreciates the importance for agriculture and horticulture of the supply of labour from overseas. The expansion of the EU has opened up a wide labour market. The Accession Monitoring Report for the period May 2004 to December 2007 records that more than 77,000 workers from the new EU Accession States have registered under the Worker Registration Scheme to take up work in agriculture.
	The Government are also aware of the importance of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) to help out at peak times during the year. The Minister responsible for SAWS at the Home Office, my hon. Friend the Minister for Borders and Immigration, and I recently had a useful meeting with the National Farmers' Union and representatives of SAWS operators at which we discussed the labour needs of the industry and the challenges facing it for the future. We shall continue to keep in touch with the Home Office and the industry on these issues and will consider whether any review of policy is necessary.

Agriculture: Land Use

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the area of land required to produce equivalent amounts of organic and non-organic food.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 April 2008
	DEFRA has not funded research specifically on land use in organic and non-organic systems. However, the following DEFRA-funded projects have involved some element of comparison between organic and non-organic farming:
	IS0205—Determining the environmental burdens and resource use in the production of agricultural and horticultural commodities
	OF0145/301—Testing the sustainability of stockless arable organic farming on a fertile soil
	OF0165—Factors influencing biodiversity within organic and conventional systems of arable farming
	OF0319/OFO 326—Sustainable organic hill and upland farming—A collaborative case study approach
	OF0189/OF0190/OF0373— Economics of organic farming
	Further information on these projects can be found can be found on the research pages of the DEFRA website.

Alpacas: Farming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision has been made to support alpaca farmers in the event of an outbreak of animal disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: No specific provisions have been made to support alpaca farmers in the event of an outbreak of animal disease.
	DEFRA has established a camelids (camels, llamas, alpacas, guanaco and vicuna) stakeholder group, which is a forum for forward planning and raising issues, as well as updating camelid stakeholders on the current disease risks. In addition, particularly during outbreaks, DEFRA holds regular meetings with industry stakeholders to which representatives from camelid societies are invited.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members of the England Implementation Group to oversee animal health and welfare strategy are; and what organisations they represent.

Jonathan R Shaw: The membership of the England Implementation Group looking at the animal health and welfare strategy is as follows:
	Helen Browning (Chair)
	Richard Bennett
	Tim Brigstocke
	Chris Brown
	Neil Cutler
	Nigel Durnford
	Stewart Houston
	Peter Jinman
	Diane McCrea
	Martin Potter
	Peter Scott
	Dick Sibley
	Sarah Wolfensohn
	The EIG was appointed by DEFRA Ministers, to advise Government on implementing the Strategy in England. The 13 members of the group are there for their individual expertise and experience in animal health and welfare, rather than as representatives of particular organisations.
	Further information on the members is available on the DEFRA website.

Animal Welfare

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of cases of animal cruelty which have taken place in  (a) urban and  (b) rural areas in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on whether an offence was committed in an urban or rural area cannot be separately identified from the data reported to the Ministry of Justice.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what forms of regulatory systems, standards or husbandry guidelines his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses is considering; on what date it is expected to report; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether winter quarters for circus animals are subject to the same regulatory regime as travelling circuses; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether interested parties will be consulted as part of his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses; whether such bodies will be able to submit evidence; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether his Department's feasibility study on wild animals in circuses is considering direct application of the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practices to circuses, the creation of new Standards for circuses only or new legislation covering wild animals in circuses; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: My noble Friend the Lord Rooker will write to the hon. Member following the completion of ongoing policy discussions.

Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) males and  (b) females, broken down by age group were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 for (A) noise, (B) graffiti and fly-posting and (C) waste and litter in (1) Southend, (2) each local authority in Essex and (3) Essex police authority area, broken down by basic command unit in each year since the introduction of the powers.

Joan Ruddock: Data on court proceedings are reported to the Ministry of Justice and are included in the following table in as much detail as the data allow.
	Offences relating to acts of graffiti and fly posting are not separately identifiable from other criminal damage (such as vandalism and damaging property) and therefore have been omitted from the data table.
	Records are kept for the principal offence, that is, the one which carried the heaviest penalty. It is possible that more prosecutions were taken that included one of these offences, but not as the principal offence.
	The data are for the Essex police force area; data are not recorded by local authority.
	
		
			   Male  Female 
			   Number proceeded against  Number found guilty  Number proceeded against  Number found guilty 
			  Waste disposal offences 
			 2003 9 8 0 0 
			 2004 9 5 2 1 
			 2005 9 9 1 0 
			 2006 18 17 1 1 
			  
			  Littering offences 
			 2003 7 5 2 2 
			 2004 17 14 11 9 
			 2005 15 11 6 5 
			 2006 18 9 4 2 
		
	
	 Noise offences
	There are no proceedings recorded for noise offences.

Bees

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department plans to provide for bee inspectors in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Jonathan R Shaw: Detailed allocations have still to be finalised. The expectation is that funding for DEFRA's ongoing programme of support for bee health will be around the same level as previously. In the event of a need to respond to new serious threats, there are contingency arrangements in place for additional funding to be made available.

Bees

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to investigate the reasons for unexplained losses of queens from bee hives.

Jonathan R Shaw: Unexplained colony losses which have occurred this season, for which there is no ready explanation, are being investigated by the National Bee Unit.

Bees

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the emergence of an Asian variation of the bee pathogen Nosema ceranae.

Jonathan R Shaw: Last year, the National Bee Unit conducted an initial survey to estimate the prevalence of both Nosema species that affect honeybees across England and Wales as part of a horizon scanning project.  Nosema ceranae, which is sometimes termed the Asian variant of the more common  Nosema apis, was confirmed for the first time in the UK, infecting 37 per cent. of colonies sampled during the summer of 2007. This is the first time that sampling for  Nosema ceranae has been carried out. It has been found in samples from 13 counties in England and Wales, including Cornwall and North Yorkshire.  Nosema apis was also present in 14 per cent. of these samples.
	We do not yet know the impact of  Nosema ceranae, but the distribution suggests that it has been present for some time. A more detailed survey to estimate the impact of both  Nosema species across England and Wales is planned for this year.

Biofuels: Imports

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the biofuels target he expects to be met from imports in each year until 2015.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government expect that transport fuel suppliers will use a mixture of imported and domestically produced biofuels to comply with the requirements of the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO). We do not, however, have precise estimates of the likely split between imports and domestic production in any given year. The Renewable Fuels Agency will be reporting regularly on these matters.

Biofuels: Wales

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has provided for research and development into biogas production and trials for farmers in Wales.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 2000, DEFRA has spent £720,000 on research and development into biogas production. Current work includes the UK contribution to a EU FP7 Biogas project (£300,000 over four years). This project is due to complete in 2010 and will result in a synthesis of information required to assess the development of a sustainable biogas industry in the UK.
	DEFRA holds the research and development budget and commission research relevant to England and Wales.

Birds: Smuggling

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many seizures of wild birds species not protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that were imported illegally were made in each year from 2000 to 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA holds no central records of seizures of non-CITES listed animals. Seizures are made by local authorities.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA offers an interest-free loan for bikes and essential equipment (CPU 5) to assist staff who wish to purchase a bicycle for travelling between home and office. Examples of essential equipment include lights; helmet; lock; pump; panniers; back pack; or waterproofs. The total loan cannot exceed £600 and is repayable over a maximum of 12 months. Casual staff and staff employed for less than three months are not eligible for this advance. An advance of salary for the purchase of a bicycle and essential equipment is classed as a beneficial loan for tax purposes.
	From information held centrally we are unable to confirm arrangements for DEFRA's non-departmental public bodies.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide were offset  (a) in total and  (b) via the Government carbon offsetting funding for air flights in 2006-07 by his Department.

Phil Woolas: The Government carbon offsetting fund's (GCOF) aim is to offset up to 305,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide predominantly from air travel, by the end of April 2009. This will be predominantly from Central Government Departments. A full list of current participants is available on the DEFRA website.
	For financial year 2006-07, DEFRA will procure credits through the GCOF to offset 2,864 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) for its flights.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the extent of dog fighting; what steps are being taken to prevent dog fighting; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: No estimates are available of the extent of dog fighting that takes place in this country, which is an illegal activity.
	The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which came into force 12 months ago, created separate offences for animal fighting and increased the maximum financial penalties available to the courts for such offences.
	Anyone found guilty of an offence related to animal fighting is liable to a maximum fine of £20,000 (previously £5,000), or six months imprisonment, or both.

Facilities Management

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to his Department was of the facilities management infrastructure in each of the last five financial years; and what it is expected to be in 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 March 2008
	The information requested is as follows:
	2007-08: Current year extrapolation circa £22 million;
	2006-07: £20 million;
	2005-06: £15 million;
	2004-05: £14 million;
	2003-04: Figures not currently available.
	Although not tracked in detail until recent years, Estates have continued to deliver efficiencies and savings as part of the management of their core contracts. The realisation of savings in excess of the 5 per cent. against baselines has been a standard minimum year-on-year budget target resulting from comprehensive spending reviews (CSR).
	Past savings/efficiencies have been masked by the moving size and shape of the Department and its accommodation requirement.
	In 2006-07 DEFRA Estates undertook a contract realignment exercise which recorded a VFM saving with OGC of £1 million. Contract reconciliations are still in progress for the 2007-08 year, savings of £100,000 have already been identified.
	All figures based on previous (DEFRA Estates Division) FM contracts which cover service provision for the core department only delivered by three main regional contracts. It should be noted in earlier years that there was some degree of localised provision and therefore not included in the contract sum totals shown.
	Wider DEFRA network bodies (agencies and NDPB) have their own budgeting, finance and procurement governance. Costs attributable to these organisations are not visible to DEFRA Estates.

Flood Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are available for those who have been affected by flooding to enhance protection of their properties; and what discussions he has had with (a) local authorities,  (b) the Environment Agency and  (c) others (i) to identify available funding for flood protection and (ii) to increase the rate of take-up.

Phil Woolas: There are numerous ways of reducing the damage that flooding causes at individual properties. Resistance measures slow down or stop ingress of water by putting barriers across air-vents, service points and doors. Examples include door-boards, airbrick covers and one-way valves for sewage outlets. Resilience measures limit the damage and disruption that occurs when water does get in. Examples include using concrete/tiled floors and waterproof lime-based plaster, replacing MDF kitchens with stainless steel ones, and raising the level of electric sockets.
	As part of the Government's Making Space for Water programme, we have been exploring what support we can offer to households in high risk areas who will not benefit from a community scheme. £28 million has been set aside in the recent comprehensive spending review settlement to fund work to help communities adapt to increasing risk of flooding and coastal erosion.
	In collaboration with the Environment Agency and some local authorities, we have funded six pilots (£500,000) to examine the feasibility of developing a grant scheme for householders on flood resilience. These pilots have just completed and we are expecting final reports shortly.
	As part of this work, the Environment Agency is investigating the development of a web-based information resource, providing a route-map on different sources of advice for flood resilience options for individual properties. This would be open to members of the public, including builders.
	We have also been working with the insurance industry, as part of the Statement of Principles review (see earlier submission), to look at what insurers can do to promote the use of household-level measures and in particular resilient repair.

Flood Control: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress made by each local authority in Gloucestershire in revising flood defence strategies by either  (a) revising the local plan and  (b) developing the local development framework; and what powers he has to monitor the development of flood defence strategies.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency reviews flood defences through catchment flood management plans and flood defence strategies. Revising and monitoring flood defence strategies is not a function of local authorities via the local plan or local development framework process.
	In preparing strategic flood risk assessments, local authorities consider flood defences with a view to where they locate allocations for development and where they may require site-specific flood risk assessments to be carried out by developers and submitted with planning applications.
	Strategic plans, such as catchment flood management plans and strategic flood risk assessments feed into the local development framework process by providing a baseline of evidence. This detailed environmental information allows informed decisions to be made in relation to land use and development proposals at both a regional and a local level.
	The Environment Agency is involved with a strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA) that is currently being undertaken by Gloucestershire county council. This should assess flood risk from a variety of sources and will take account of the 2007 summer floods. It will assist local authorities in making future housing allocations and ensuring that future developments are as sustainable as possible in flood risk terms. The SFRA is due to be completed in May.

Floods: Costs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost of repairs to properties flooded during the summer of 2007.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government on 28 April 2008,  Official Report, column 68W.

Food: Prices

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect of biomass production on food prices over the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 28 April 2008
	In the UK, over the last five years, there has been no large-scale production of biofuels from oilseeds and grains. Consequently, any effect on food prices has been negligible. Production plants are being built and are expected to come on line over the next few years.
	At a global level, use of grains and oilseeds for biofuels is more important. However, a recent analysis by DEFRA concluded that the current high commodity prices are driven by a number of factors, of which demand for biofuels is one, but not the most important factor. Full details of the analysis can be viewed on the DEFRA website.
	The area planted to dedicated energy crops, such as miscanthus and short rotation coppice, in the UK is still very small compared to total crops area (below 0.1 per cent.) and as such is likely to have had an un-measurably small impact on food prices.

Food: Salt

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with Consensus Action on Salt and Health on salt levels in food.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	While the Ministers have not met with Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) recently, Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials, and the FSA chair, have met Professor MacGregor and Jo Butten to discuss the review of the voluntary salt reduction targets which is currently underway. CASH have also been present at 19 recent stakeholder meetings held by the FSA to inform the review of the targets.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department collects statistics on deaths of racehorses which take place during races.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government do not hold records on the circumstances or location of the death of racehorses. Such details may be obtained from the British Horseracing Authority.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had on measures to reduce the number of deaths of racehorses during races.

Jonathan R Shaw: My ministerial colleague, the noble Lord Rooker, has arranged to meet the British Horseracing Authority in May to discuss the safety of racehorses during races.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on deaths of racehorses during races.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has received no representations on the death of racehorses during races recently.

Horses: Animal Welfare

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1341W, on horses: animal welfare, if he will place in the Library a copy of the file.

Jonathan R Shaw: Some of the papers have been placed in the Library of the House. The remaining papers are not being published as they attract legal professional privilege.

Reptiles: EU External Trade

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of  (a) CITES-listed and  (b) non-CITES-listed (i) reptiles and (ii) birds imported into the European Union as recorded by the Trade Control and Expert System in each year from 2000 to 2006.

Jonathan R Shaw: The TRACES system is run by the European Commission. Use of the system became compulsory from the start of 2005. Although some records exist for 2004, these are not comparable with later years.
	Number of consignments recorded on TRACES for each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Within the EU  Outside the EU 
			  2004   
			 Reptiles 2 89 
			 Birds (non-poultry but includes game) 107 37 
			
			  2005   
			 Reptiles 18 233 
			 Birds (non-poultry but includes game) 962 90 
			
			  2006   
			 Reptiles 12 248 
			 Birds (non-poultry but includes game) 787 8 
			
			  2007   
			 Reptiles 13 289 
			 Birds (non-poultry but includes game) 964 14 
		
	
	TRACES does not record whether the animals are CITES listed or not.

Scrapie: Research

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has commissioned into maternal transfer of scrapie from ewe to lamb.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 1995, DEFRA (and its predecessor MAFF) has funded seven research projects looking at different aspects of maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep. These projects are:
	(i) Project SE1843—Maternal transmission of scrapie in Sheep
	(ii) Project SE1856—Investigation of the sources of TSE infection for the lamb in the prenatal and perinatal period
	(iii) Project SE1855—Investigation of the risk of transmission of scrapie in milk of sheep,
	(iv) Project SE2004—Identification of PrP associated infectivity in blood and milk from sheep infected with TSE, toward a diagnostic test for live animals,
	(v) Project SE1834—The role of the pre-implantation embryo in the vertical transmission of natural scrapie infection
	(vi) Project SE1814—To determine if scrapie can be transmitted by transfer of embryos from ewes infected with scrapie to uninfected ewes,
	(vii) Project SE1823—Investigation of the role of the embryo in maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep.
	The first two projects are trying to determine which tissues from scrapie-infected ewes carry infectivity and therefore may infect lambs. Different tissues and fluids such as placenta, blood, urine and faeces are being examined for the presence of PrPSc, the protein associated with scrapie. The effect of the PrP genotype of the ewe and the lamb and the effect of removing the placenta immediately after birth are also being examined as possible factors in maternal transmission. The next two projects are looking at milk from scrapie-infected ewes and determining if milk contains scrapie infectivity or PrPSc, the protein associated with scrapie. Recent results from project SE1855 have shown that milk can carry scrapie infectivity (BMC Vet Res. 2008 Apr 8;4(1):14).
	The last three projects have looked at whether embryos, collected from a scrapie infected ewe, give rise to infected lambs when transplanted into scrapie free ewes. The most recent of these projects, SE1834, found that transplanted embryos do not appear to become infected.
	The total cost of these seven projects is £5,491,054.
	More details of these projects and other DEFRA research projects can be found on the science and research pages of the DEFRA website.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what payments the Waste and Resources Action Programme made to Consolidated Communications in each of the last five years; and on what date and for what purpose the payment was made in each case.

Joan Ruddock: Consolidated Communications have previously provided strategic communications and event management services to the DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). This was in relation to the development and implementation of the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary waste reduction agreement with retailers and food manufacturers.
	Payments by WRAP to Consolidated Communications over the last five years on this, and other lesser activities, was £88,975.25, comprising £37,912.75 in 2006-07, and £51,062.50 in 2007-08.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 14 March 2008,  Official Report, column 706W, on Enviros Consulting, which of the projects listed in the table included the provision of advice, training and consultancy on  (a) domestic waste collection practices and  (b) charging for domestic waste collection.

Joan Ruddock: The following table indicates projects which included the provision of advice, training and consultancy on domestic waste collection practices. None of the projects related to charging for domestic waste collection.
	
		
			  Project/programme  Advice, training and consultancy on domestic waste collection practices  Payment (£) 
			 Communications via local partners (BCLF) total No 73,309.59 
			 Construction (general) total No 772.89 
			 Evaluation total No 56,900.00 
			 Executive total No 2,544.25 
			 Local authority support total Yes 27,335.50 
			 Local authority training total Yes 278,742.52 
			 Local communications fund (BCLF) total No 105,233.02 
			 Manufacturing support (wood) total No 25,378.90 
			 Organics (added value) total No 27,148.82 
			 Organics (building infrastructure) total No 7,461.95 
			 Organics (promoting compost use) total No 38,048.08 
			 Organics total No 172,582.90 
			 Plasterboard total No 122,805.44 
			 Policy total No 21,579.93 
			 Procurement total No 106,515.68 
			 Recycle at work total No 15,112.25 
			 Regional Development Agency support total No 28,899.96 
			 Regional economic development total No 152,305.20 
			 Recycling and organics technical advisory team (ROTATE) total Yes 69,460.49 
			 Small medium enterprises total No 133,290.39 
			 Manufacturing support (wood) total No 31,663.90 
			 Total — 1,497,091.66

Waste Management: Domestic Wastes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities operate residual household waste collections with a frequency of less than once a week, including those operating pilot schemes with that frequency.

Joan Ruddock: The following table represents our best understanding of local authorities operating residual household waste collections with a frequency of less than once a week, including pilot schemes. However, due to the often rapid changes in this area, it is unlikely to be completely up to date.
	
		
			  Local authorities operating alternate weekly collections (fortnightly residual waste collections) 
			  Jpp number  Local authority  
			 19 Alnwick District Council  
			 104 Amber Valley  
			 139 Ashfield District Council  
			 283 Aylesbury Vale Disrict Council Very small pilot scheme 
			 233 Babergh District Council  
			 90 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council  
			 138 Bassetlaw District Council  
			 18 Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council  
			  Blackpool Borough Council  
			 17 Blyth Valley Borough Council  
			 122 Boston Borough Council  
			  Bracknell Forest Borough Council  
			 205 Braintree District Council  
			 225 Breckland District Council  
			 156 Bridgnorth District Council  
			  Bristol City Council  
			 224 Broadland District Council  
			 149 Bromsgrove District Council  
			 137 Broxtowe Borough Council  
			 64 Burnley Borough Council  
			 191 Cambridge City Council  
			 166 Cannock Chase District Council  
			 319 Canterbury City Council  
			 38 Carlisle City Council  
			 16 Castle Morpeth Borough Council  
			 113 Charnwood Borough Council  
			 326 Cherwell District Council  
			 102 Chesterfield Borough Council  
			 344 Chichester District Council  
			 282 Chiltern District Council Phase 1 and Phase 2 introduced—not district-wide 
			 63 Chorley Borough Council  
			 37 Copeland Borough Council  
			 130 Corby Borough Council  
			 31 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council  
			 216 Dacorum Borough Council  
			 129 Daventry District Council  
			 96 Derby City Council  
			 11 Derwentside District Council  
			  Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council  
			 303 East Hampshire District Council  
			 121 East Lindsey District Council  
			 302 Eastleigh Borough Council  
			 30 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council  
			  Epping Borough Council AWC during winter only 
			 100 Erewash Borough Council  
			 366 Exeter City Council Only 50 per cent. coverage and do not intend to expand further 
			  Fareham Borough Council  
			 189 Fenland District Council  
			 232 Forest Heath District Council  
			 62 Fylde Borough Council  
			 136 Gedling Borough Council AWC during winter only 
			 300 Gosport Borough Council  
			 223 Great Yarmouth Borough Council  
			 84 Hambleton District Council  
			 112 Harborough District Council  
			  Hart District Council  
			 4 Hartlepool Borough Council  
			  Hastings Borough Council Started roll out in 2007 and planning for 69 per cent. coverage 
			 298 Havant Borough Council  
			  Hertsmere Borough Council  
			 111 Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council  
			 99 High Peak Borough Council  
			 188 Huntingdonshire District Council  
			 61 Hyndburn Borough Council  
			 231 Ipswich Borough Council  
			 397 Kennet District Council  
			 127 Kettering Borough Council  
			  Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council Being introduced from August 2007 over 3 years 
			 60 Lancaster City Council  
			 164 Lichfield District Council  
			 120 Lincoln City Council Propose to switch to AWC during winter only from 2008 
			  London Borough of Bexley Introducing from spring 2008 
			 263 London Borough of Harrow  
			 28 Macclesfield Borough Council  
			 135 Mansfield District Council  
			 110 Melton Borough Council  
			 390 Mendip District Council  
			 183 Mid Bedfordshire District Council  
			 365 Mid Devon District Council  
			 230 Mid Suffolk District Council  
			 341 Mid Sussex District Council Roll-out from August 2007 
			 335 Mole Valley District Council  
			 134 Newark and Sherwood District Council  
			 364 North Devon District Council  
			  North East Derbyshire  
			  North Hertfordshire District Council Introduced October 2007 
			 119 North Kesteven District Council  
			 77 North Lincolnshire Council  
			 221 North Norfolk District Council  
			 155 North Shropshire District Council  
			 109 North West Leicestershire District Council  
			 126 Northampton Borough Council  
			 133 Nottingham City Council  
			  Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Pilot 
			 154 Oswestry Borough Council  
			 325 Oxford City Council  
			 59 Pendle Borough Council  
			 187 Peterborough City Council  
			 58 Preston Borough Council  
			 373 Purbeck District Council  
			  Reading Borough Council  
			 2 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council  
			 145 Redditch Borough Council  
			 82 Richmondshire District Council  
			  Rochdale MBC First phase in summer 2006. Roll out postponed until 2008 
			  Rochford District Council Being introduced from April 2008 
			 56 Rossendale Borough Council  
			  Rother District Council  
			  Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council  
			  Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Trial 
			 132 Rushcliffe Borough Council  
			  Rushmoor Borough Council 6,500 household trial 2007 
			 106 Rutland County Council Started April 2008 
			 81 Ryedale District Council  
			  Scarborough Borough Council  
			  Sefton MBC First phase introduced. Being rolled out during 2008 
			 311 Shepway District Council  
			 153 Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council Late summer 2007 
			  South Bedfordshire District Council  
			 281 South Buckinghamshire District Council 4,400 household trial 
			 186 South Cambridgeshire District Council  
			 97 South Derbyshire District Council  
			 392 South Gloucestershire Council  
			 362 South Hams District Council  
			 117 South Kesteven District Council  
			 35 South Lakeland District Council  
			 219 South Norfolk District Council  
			 125 South Northamptonshire Council  
			 55 South Ribble Borough Council  
			 152 South Shropshire District Council  
			 388 South Somerset District Council  
			 162 South Staffordshire District Council  
			  Spelthorne Borough Council  
			 229 St. Edmundsbury Borough Council  
			  Stafford Borough Council Being introduced from February 2008 
			 160 Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Introduced from September 2007 
			  Stratford-upon-Avon Proposed introduction from August 2008 
			  Suffolk Coastal 9,000 households in 2006 plus 9,500 hhs in 2007 plus 6,000 April 2008 
			 310 Swale Borough Council Roll out from July 2007 
			  Swindon Borough Council Introduced from June 2007 
			 159 Tamworth Borough Council  
			 387 Taunton Deane Borough Council  
			  Thanet District Council  
			 361 Teignbridge District Council  
			 151 Telford and Wrekin Borough Council  
			 295 Test Valley Borough Council  
			 308 Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council  
			 360 Torbay Council  
			 307 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council  
			 15 Tynedale District Council  
			 195 Uttlesford District Council  
			 27 Vale Royal Borough Council  
			 14 Wansbeck District Council  
			  Warwick District Council Being introduced from April 2008 
			 227 Waveney District Council  
			 329 Waverley Borough Council  
			 286 Wealden District Council  
			 124 Wellingborough Borough Council  
			 54 West Lancashire District Council  
			 394 West Wiltshire District Council  
			  Weymouth and Portland Borough Council  
			 294 Winchester City Council  
			 68 Wirral MBC Introduced from January 2007—not borough wide 
			 328 Woking Borough Council  
			 143 Worcester City Council  
			 280 Wycombe District Council  
			 53 Wyre Borough Council  
			 141 Wyre Forest District Council  
			 78 York City Council

TREASURY

Bankruptcy

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will re-evaluate what the appropriateness of the length of the time that statutory demands normal term is before an action for bankruptcy is pursued.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The ability to ask the court to make a bankruptcy order on the basis of the failure to comply with a statutory demand within the required period has been a feature of insolvency legislation for over 20 years.
	The Insolvency Service has recently been conducting a review of its secondary legislation. In that process, it has consulted a wide-ranging group of stakeholders on proposed changes, sought views generally and has received no representations on this subject. We see no reason for any change.

Child Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing child benefit for the first child by  (a) £3,  (b) £3.25,  (c) £3.50,  (d) £3.75,  (e) £4,  (f) £4.25,  (g) £4.50,  (h) £4.75 and  (i) £5 for (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012.

Jane Kennedy: The estimated annual cost of increasing the first child rate by the requested amounts is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Estimated increase in annual expenditure (£ billion) 
			 £3.00 1.15 
			 £3.25 1.25 
			 £3.50 1.35 
			 £3.75 1.44 
			 £4.00 1.54 
			 £4.25 1.64 
			 £4.50 1.73 
			 £4.75 1.83 
			 £5.00 1.92 
		
	
	Population projections imply a relatively constant number of families claiming child benefit each year, around 7.4 million, so we would not expect this cost to vary considerably for each year to 2012.

Child Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of child benefit for the first child was as a proportion of average earnings in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The value of child benefit for the first child as a proportion of employee median earnings is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Child benefit first child rate (£)  All employee median weekly earnings (£)  Proportion (Percentage) 
			 1997-98 11.05 327.7 3.4 
			 1998-99 11.45 340.2 3.4 
			 1999-2000 14.40 352.3 4.1 
			 2000-01 15.00 367.5 4.1 
			 2001-02 15.50 383.4 4.0 
			 2002-03 15.75 397.5 4.0 
			 2003-04 16.05 411.8 3.9 
			 2004-05 16.50 425.4 3.9 
			 2005-06 17.00 443.2 3.8 
			 2006-07 17.45 463.2 3.8 
			 2007-08 18.10 480.8 3.8 
		
	
	Child benefit first child rate will increase to £20 per week in April 2009.

Child Benefit: Expenditure

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of likely expenditure on child benefit in each year until 2012.

Jane Kennedy: The projected annual expenditure on child benefit is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2008-09 10,950 
			 2009-10 11,550 
			 2010-11 11,850 
			 2011-12 12,320 
			 2012-13 12,705 
		
	
	These projections are based on indexation of the current first and subsequent child rates of child benefit in line with prices, and projections of the number of children in the UK from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It also takes into account the Budget 2008 measure of increasing the first child rate to £20.
	Retail Price Index assumptions may be found in Table C3: Economic assumptions for the public finance projections in Budget 2008:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget_08/report/bud_bud_08_repindex.cfm
	ONS population projections may be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/NPP-2006/NPP06_NSOnline.pdf
	The projections are not a statement of Government policy in relation to financial support for children, and the Government remains committed to meeting its targets to halve child poverty by 2010-11 and eradicate it by 2020-21.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials of  (a) his Department and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs have been disciplined or dismissed for (i) alleged breaches of data protection requirements and (ii) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Jane Kennedy: HM Treasury predominately hold personal data for their staff in connection with their responsibility as an employer. In the last three years, no HM Treasury staff have been disciplined or dismissed for inappropriate access to personal or sensitive data.
	HMRC has a strict policy forbidding staff to access customer records, unless they have a legitimate business need. Breaches of this policy are taken seriously and any breach will result in the commencement of disciplinary proceedings. Each case is treated on its merits but in many cases the disciplinary penalty for breach is dismissal.
	The number of HMRC staff who have been disciplined or dismissed for inappropriate access to personal or sensitive data during the three years since HMRC was established in April 2005 are as follows and reflect the strength of HMRC's internal disciplinary procedures.
	
		
			   Number 
			 April 2005 to December 2005 238 
			 January 2006 to December 2006 180 
			 January 2007 to December 2007 192 
		
	
	However, these figures still represent less than 1 per cent. of total staff for each of the three years in question.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury does offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. This scheme supports employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling employers to loan a cycle to an employee. In HM Treasury the period of loan is 12 months.
	The Treasury also offers an interest free loan repayable over up to 12 months for employees to purchase a cycle.

Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1642W, on data protection, whether there is a separate line management process for HM Revenue and Customs data guardians.

Jane Kennedy: Data guardians sit within each HMRC business units' usual line management chain. The director of each business unit in HMRC is ultimately accountable for the data security arrangements in their respective business unit and as the principal accounting officer for HMRC, the chairman has ultimate responsibility for data security.

Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1642W, on data protection, how many full-time equivalent data guardians HM Revenue and Customs has.

Jane Kennedy: All staff in HMRC have a personal responsibility for protecting the data in their care in line with the Data Protection Act. For further advice staff can refer to their data guardian, each of whom has responsibility for the data security arrangements in a particular HMRC business unit.

Data Protection

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of each grade in his Department  (a) have access to confidential or sensitive data and  (b) are authorised to download such data to disc; how many of his Department's employees have undergone data protection training in the last 12 months; what the average length of time is that each employee of (i) his Department and (ii) his Department's agencies has spent on data protection training; how many investigations of employees of his Department for improperly accessing confidential information have taken place in the last 12 months; how many such investigations resulted in cases of disciplinary action; and what the circumstances of each of those cases were.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC provides its staff with controlled access to customer information to facilitate the delivery and maintenance of service to customers.
	Access to HMRC systems is assigned according to user-roles within the organisation, and not grade. Information on users according to grade is not available and could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.
	HMRC and its agency the Valuation Office Agency have in place a range of measures and procedures in relation to training and guidance on data protection and data security and transfer. Information on number of staff who have undergone training, the length of time spent by each and the cost of training is not available and could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.
	HMRC has a strict policy forbidding staff to access customer records, unless they have a legitimate business need. Breaches of this policy are taken seriously and any breach will result in the commencement of disciplinary proceedings. Each case is treated on its merits but in many cases, the disciplinary penalty for breach is dismissal.
	During the year ended 31 December 2007, 192 HMRC staff—from a headcount of just over 90,000—were disciplined or dismissed for inappropriate access to personal or sensitive data, reflecting the strength of HMRC's internal disciplinary procedure. However, this represents less than 1 per cent. of total staff for each of the three years in question.
	No other information is available on the breakdowns requested in this question.

Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many breaches of data protection security there were in  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies in each of the last five years; and if he will provide details of each breach.

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many security breaches relating to access to personal data occurred within his Department in each year since 1997.

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many confirmed data security breaches there have been in his Department in the last 36 months; and what action was taken after each occurrence.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC records security incidents and does not record information in the form requested.
	Since April 2005, HMRC has discussed 11 data security incidents involving customer information with the Information Commissioner's Office as a matter of good practice and to ensure appropriate lessons are learned from such incidents.
	HMRC has introduced more stringent controls which require that transfers of bulk data on removable media only take place where there is adequate security protection. The transfer of personal data only takes place when it is essential to do so due to a business critical need or in order to meet the HMRC's legal obligations.
	No such security incidents have been recorded by the Treasury, the Office of Government Commerce or the Debt Management Office.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimates of the levels of consumption of  (a) spirits,  (b) spirit-based ready-to-drinks,  (c) wine,  (d) beer,  (e) cider and  (f) sparkling wine he used in forecasting the revenue yields from increases in the rates of alcohol duties in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11 as set out in Budget 2008, page 9, Table 1.2;
	(2)  what estimates he has made of the level of consumption of  (a) spirits,  (b) spirit-based ready-to-drinks,  (c) wine,  (d) beer,  (e) cider and  (f) sparkling wine for (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2006-07 and (iv) 2007-08;
	(3)  what the revenue from alcohol duties from  (a) spirits,  (b) spirit-based ready-to-drinks,  (c) wine,  (d) beer,  (e) cider and  (f) sparkling wine was in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2006-07 and (iv) 2007-08.

Angela Eagle: Total duty receipts by type of alcohols products (cider, beer, wine and spirits) can be found in the HM Revenue and Customs 'Beer and Cider Bulletin', 'Wine of Fresh Grapes or Made Wine Bulletin' and 'Spirits Bulletin', which are available from the HM Revenue and Customs website addresses at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbeer
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullfresh
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullmadewine
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullspirits
	The revenue forecast for alcohol duties reflect the underlying trend in alcohol consumption, as measured by HM Revenue and Customs data on quantities of alcohol products cleared or released for UK consumption. Published estimates of quantities for each drink type are also available from the same bulletins. Separate figures for spirit-based ready-to-drink and sparkling wine products are available in terms of quantities only and not in terms of duty receipts. The Budget 2008 forecast assumes a reduction in total pure alcohol consumed as a result of the alcohol duty changes of 1.6 per cent. 2.6 per cent. and 3.5 per cent. for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.

Financial Services Authority: College Public Policy

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what payments the Financial Services Authority made to College Public Policy in each of the last five years; on what dates; and for what purpose the payments were made in each case.

Angela Eagle: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the Chairman of the FSA to write to the hon. Member on the issue he raises.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme: Lansons Public Affairs

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what payments the Financial Services Compensation Scheme made to Lansons Public Affairs in each of the last five years; on what dates; and for what purpose the payments were made in each case.

Angela Eagle: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), whose day-to-day operations are independent from the Government control and influence. I have asked the Chief Executive of the FSCS to write to the hon. Member on the issue he raises.

Government Departments: Sustainable Development

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Government departments have  (a) approached his Department for assistance and  (b) received assistance in response to the procedure outlined on pages 4 and 5 in the UK Government Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury is in daily contact with departments on a wide range of issues and does not keep a central count of issues raised.

Pensions: Taxation

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who would be affected if pension contributions were allowable for tax relief only against the basic rate of income tax; and what estimate his Department made of the effect on receipts to the Exchequer of allowing relief on pension contributions at the standard rate of income tax only in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Angela Eagle: Latest detailed estimates of the annual cost of tax relief on registered pension schemes are available in Table 7.9 on Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu.htm
	If the relief on individual contributions were constrained to the basic rate of income tax, this relief would fall by one quarter.
	Latest estimates of the number of individuals receiving income tax relief on individual pension contributions are given in Table 3.8 on HMRC's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu.htm
	If the relief on individual pension contributions were constrained to the basic rate of income tax, the proportion of such taxpayers that would be affected is one quarter.
	These estimates relate to individual contributions to both personal and occupational pensions. We have not estimated the impact of charging to income tax employer contributions to private pensions made for the benefit of employees who are liable to the higher rate of income tax. The estimates do not account for behavioural effects, which are likely to be large.

Revenue and Customs: Databases

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) cross-checks and  (b) linkages (i) exist and (ii) are planned between the data records of individuals stored on databases held by (A) HM Revenue and Customs and (B) other Government departments.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC must ensure that its use and disclosure of information complies with requirements of section 17 and section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005. HMRC are also required to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 where applicable.
	All existing and any planned cross-checking and linking is carried out in accordance with business need and only where it is lawful to do so. This applies whether the processing is within HMRC or involves other Government Departments.

Taxation: Invalid Vehicles

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will assess the effects of the tariff classification regime as it applies to mobility scooters on  (a) people with disabilities and  (b) the elderly;
	(2)  if he will make representations to the World Customs Organisation to review the tariff classification applicable to mobility scooters;
	(3)  if he will meet  (a) the World Customs Organisation,  (b) the British Healthcare Trade Association and  (c) Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to discuss the effects of the tariff classification of mobility scooters.

Jane Kennedy: Mobility scooters are currently classified for customs purposes as 'Vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons'. The EU has set an import duty of 10 per cent. for these vehicles. This duty is applied to the import value. The retail price for mobility scooters is determined by market forces and subject to fluctuation. The effects of tariff classification as it applies to mobility scooters will therefore vary according to the specific model being imported.
	Government Ministers recognise that the tariff classification of mobility scooters is causing serious concern for both importers and end users of the products. The work to pursue a resolution is being co-ordinated by officials from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC regularly meet with representatives from The British Healthcare Trade Association (BHTA) as well as officials from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to discuss the issue.
	Tariff Classification matters fall within the competence of the Community. It is the European Commission's (EC) role to ensure uniform treatment of the same goods by agreeing a common EU position and then presenting that unified view. The UK, via officials from HMRC, has made representations to the Commission to have the classification of mobility scooters referred back to the World Customs Organisation. The EC declined on the basis that current guidelines provide uniformity of classification. In this context it is important to remember that classification experts, both at the European and the International levels, are not influenced by duty rates. The EC has agreed to consider a formal request for duty free treatment or a reduced rate of customs duty for mobility scooters. The BHTA is currently collating the necessary information to support HMRC with this approach.

VAT: Further Education

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on recovery of value added tax (VAT) from further education colleges following VAT inspection of the use of zero-rated buildings in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs holds details of the tax affairs of all VAT registered taxpayers. This includes, where relevant, details of any VAT collected from Further Education Colleges in respect of changes in use of buildings that were VAT zero-rated on construction. However, this information is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff were employed to deal with  (a) tax credit compliance,  (b) disputed overpayments,  (c) fraud and  (d) official error in each quarter since April 2003.

Jane Kennedy: For the information requested in  (a) and  (c) I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 243W.
	For the information requested in  (b) and  (d) up to and including the quarter ended 30 June 2006 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 25 July 2006:  Official Report, column 1390W. More recent information is updated in the following table:
	
		
			  Quarter ending  Number of full-time equivalent staff dealing with disputed payments 
			 September 2006 676 
			 December 2006 480 
			 March 2007 440 
			 June 2007 309 
			 September 2007 219 
			 December 2007 334 
		
	
	The numbers of staff deployed generally fluctuates according to the amount of work received.

Welfare Tax Credits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have been contacted as part of HM Revenue and Customs tax credit outreach work; what estimate he has made of the effectiveness of the work; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available as there is not a standard definition of outreach work. However, in Budget 2008 the Government announced that HMRC would work with children's centres to pilot different ways and different locations for providing advice and services on tax credits.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what value of overpayments were written off by the Tax Credit Office in each year since 2003.

Jane Kennedy: Overpaid tax credits for 2003-04 were only finally identified after April 2004 when HM Revenue and Customs started finalising awards for that year and the Tax Credit Office (TCO) began considering disputed overpayments in June 2004. The bulk of these disputed overpayments written off were early cases most of which were dealt with in 2005-06.
	The total amounts written off by TCO in each year through the disputed overpayment process by applying official error relief is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Value of disputed overpayments written off by Tax Credit Office  (£ million) 
			 2004-05 6 
			 2005-06 180 
			 2006-07 9 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.

Working Tax Credit

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has undertaken into the reasons for eligible families not claiming the child care element of the working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Eligibility for the child care element depends on a family using registered child care and number of hours worked. The amount a family receives then depends on household income. HMRC recently commissioned research on the child care element which, in part, attempted to investigate reasons for eligible families not claiming the child care element of working tax credit.
	A full report of findings will be published in due course by HMRC in accordance with the standard publication procedure.

Working Tax Credit

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the number of families eligible for the childcare element of the working tax credit; what his estimate is of the number of eligible families who do not receive the credit; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
	However, information on the average number of in-work families benefiting from the childcare element, based on final family circumstances and incomes, in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are published in table 2.4 of the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	Information on the estimates of the take-up rate for child and working tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are produced in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm.

Working Tax Credit: Fraud

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents have been prosecuted as a result of providing incorrect information in claiming the childcare element of the working tax credit in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The breakdown of figures to numbers of parents prosecuted for providing incorrect information in claiming the childcare element of the working tax credit in each year since 2001 is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	However, in respect of prosecution figures for all tax credits for 2000-01 to 2003-04, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 29 June 2005,  Official  Report, column 1549W;
	For 2004-05 to 2006-07, figures can be found at table 7 Part 2 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's standard report in the 2006-07 HMRC Accounts, which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accounts2007.htm
	For 2007-08, figures are not yet available.

Working Tax Credit: Overpayments

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many cases there were of overpayment of the childcare element of the working tax credit in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the level of overpayment of the childcare element of the working tax credit was in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
	Child and working tax credits were introduced in April 2003.
	Information on the number of awards with an overpayment of tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are produced in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments In." for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	HMRC do not produce these statistics separately for child tax credit and working tax credit.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the steel for the construction of future aircraft carriers has been ordered by the Government directly; whether there is any precedent for steel orders being placed by any agency other than the relevant shipbuilders; and whether the steel ordered is for use in the construction of one or both future aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 29 April 2008
	Steel for the construction of the Future Aircraft Carriers has been ordered by BAE Systems (Surface Fleet Solutions), on behalf of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, and not by the Government. Other than specific Government Furnished Equipment, it is normal practice for the shipyards to order build materials. The steel ordered is for use in the construction of both Future Aircraft Carriers.

Armed Forces: Graduates

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel have a university degree.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 28 April 2008
	The total number of armed forces personnel who are recorded as having a university degree or equivalent or higher is 17,469. This is around nine per cent. of the total strength.
	The figure quoted is an estimate only, as the data transferred from the former single service legacy data systems to the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system had differing degrees of reliability. In addition, since the introduction of the JPA system, the responsibility for updating this specific type of data rests solely with the individual, and as such may not always be recorded.

Armed Forces: Joint Strike Fighter

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that the Joint Strike Fighter is flown solely by Fleet Air Arm pilots.

Bob Ainsworth: The Joint Carrier Aircraft will be capable of operating from both land and sea, and under current assumptions the future force will be jointly manned by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The optimum force structure is currently being determined.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training exercises involving fighting in urban environments have been cancelled in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 2003, no training exercises involving fighting in urban environments have been cancelled.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 996W, on bearskins, and pursuant to the answer to question 198792, when the last occasion was that bearskins were purchased by the armed forces.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD does not purchase bearskins, it purchases bearskin caps. There have been no pelts procured to produce bearskin caps for the MOD since 2003.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 791W, on armoured fighting vehicles, when he expects the contract for ordering the Ridgback armoured vehicle to be finalised.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD expects to contract with a manufacturer and a UK integrator for the Ridgback vehicle shortly. I am unable to provide further details as commercial negotiations are continuing.

BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he or his officials have held with BAe and its representatives to discuss the al-Yamamah case since May 2005.

Des Browne: Meetings between MOD officials and representatives of BAE Systems at which the SFO investigation into the al-Yamamah programme was raised, took place on 17 June 2005, 3 November 2005, 26 June 2006, 28 September 2006 and 21 October 2006. In accordance with advice to the Department from the Serious Fraud Office, that office was informed of all of these meetings at the time.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Neither the Ministry of Defence nor its non-departmental public bodies currently participate in the Cycle to Work Scheme, however, the Department will be undertaking a review of this in the near future, and it does grant civilian staff advances of salary up to £500 for the purchase of bicycles for travel to work and for military personnel daily commuting by bicycle is encouraged through the payment of a rate of mileage allowance for the use of pedal cycles.

Defence: Internet

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's budget is for cyber-defence measures; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the Future Lynx helicopter project; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost, averaged over the lifetime of the project;
	(2)  what the in-service date for the Future Lynx helicopter is;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of engineers qualified in aeronautics employed on the Future Lynx programme at the latest date for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: The value of the contact awarded to Agusta Westland in June 2006 for the development and manufacture of 70 Future Lynx aircraft is approximately £1 billion. There has been no cost escalation in this contract. The total cost of the Future Lynx project is estimated to be in the order of £10 billion. This figure captures all expenditure forecast through the life of the project, including the cost of the helicopters, supporting systems, manpower, training, maintenance, spares, consumables, fuel and infrastructure costs. While the aircraft are expected to be in-service for 30 years, these costs are incurred from initial concept stages to disposal; about 50 years. This equates to an average annual cost for the battlefield and maritime capabilities to be provided by the Future Lynx fleet of approximately £200 million.
	The current in-service date for Future Lynx is 2014.
	The Department does not have routine visibility of the total numbers of aeronautic qualified engineers employed throughout industry on specific projects. However in April 2008 Agusta Westland (AW), the prime contractor for the Future Lynx programme, estimated that during this year an average of 600 to 700 engineers, qualified in a wide range of aeronautics disciplines, will be employed on this project by AW and sub-contractors.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 26 February 2008, transferred from the Department for Transport, on the Avro Vulcan Project.

Derek Twigg: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of flying hours completed by individual helicopters of types  (a) Apache,  (b) Gazelle,  (c) Lynx Mk3,  (d) Lynx Mk7,  (e) Lynx Mk8,  (f) Lynx Mk9,  (g) Merlin Mk1 and  (h) Merlin Mk3 was in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: It is not possible to provide representative average hours flown for particular aircraft types over a given period since the number of airframes within each aircraft type fluctuates. However, for total hours flown I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 797W.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 7 November 2005,  Official Report, column 103W, on special nuclear materials load carriers, what the timetable for the introduction of the new load carrier vehicles is; how many there will be; what the cost of each one is; whether they will be operated by the Ministry of Defence Police; how many miles each one is expected to complete before entry into service; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The current load carrier vehicles are now planned to continue in service until the end of 2010. It is planned to replace them with eight refurbished truck cargo heavy duty trailers and nine newly purchased tractor heads. I am withholding information on the cost of each vehicle as disclosure of this information would prejudice commercial interests. The role of the Ministry of Defence Police during the transport of nuclear materials is to ensure the overall security of any movements of special nuclear materials. The vehicles will be extensively tested for reliability before entry into service, including a programme of verification and validation activities against taut acceptance criteria. The mileage completed will be that necessary to successfully complete this programme.

Reserve Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists exercises have been cancelled since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 2003, 17 reservist exercises have been cancelled.

Russia: Military Aircraft

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates, and for what duration unauthorised Russian military aircraft have penetrated UK airspace over the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: In the last 12 months no Russian aircraft have penetrated UK national airspace. However, Russian aircraft have approached or entered the NATO Air Policing Area (APA) for which the UK has responsibility.
	I am withholding the exact dates and the duration of time that Russian military aircraft have entered the APA as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	Although I am withholding the exact dates, the following table gives the number of days within a month that Quick Reaction Alert aircraft have been launched to identify Russian military aircraft approaching or entering the APA.
	
		
			   Number 
			  2007  
			 April 1 
			 May 0 
			 June 0 
			 July 2 
			 August 1 
			 September 3 
			 October 4 
			 November 5 
			 December 2 
			  2008  
			 January 2 
			 February 0 
			 March 1

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) cautioned,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) given a penalty notice for disorder for knowingly allowing the consumption of alcohol on licensed premises by a child in each of the last two years.

Vernon Coaker: Children are unable to commit this offence, as this offence applies only to those persons who work at the licensed premises in a capacity which authorises them to prevent the consumption of alcohol by those aged under 18.
	The number of persons issued with a caution, penalty notice for disorder, or proceeded against at magistrates courts for the offence of knowingly allowing consumption of alcohol by an under 18-year-old on relevant premises in England and Wales for the years 2005 to 2006 can be viewed in the following tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			  N umber of persons issued with a caution, and proceeded against at magistrates courts for a certain alcohol offence in England and Wales for the years 2005 to 2006( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			   2005  2006 
			  Offence description  Proceeded against  Cautions( 3)  Proceeded against  Cautions( 3) 
			 Person knowingly allows consumption by individual aged under 18 of alcohol 0 0 0 2 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Person knowingly allows consumption by individual aged under 18 of alcohol. Licensing Act 2003 s.150(2) (3) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. Reprimands and final warnings are included in the above data. (4) The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, other agencies, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder for the offence Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises in England and Wales for the year 2006( 1,2,3,4) 
			   Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 
			 2005 27 
			 2006 14 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statute: Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises. s.50(2) of the Licensing Act 2003 (3) New legislative reference with effect from, 24 November 2005 on implementation of Licensing Act 2003. 4. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, other agencies, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings data held by RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what severity limits distinguish between  (a) mild and moderate and  (b) moderate and substantial under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and whether (i) duration and (ii) intensity of suffering are taken into account.

Meg Hillier: Mild protocols are those that at worst give rise to slight or transitory minor adverse effects. Substantial protocols are those that may result in a major departure from the animal's usual state of health or well being. Moderate protocols can best be defined as those that fall between mild and substantial.
	Severity limits cannot be determined by a single adverse effect. Professional judgment is required to consider and weigh all the expected adverse effects before assessing the appropriate severity limit. The duration and intensity of the suffering are always taken into account. Further details of the criteria used to assign severity limits to regulated procedures are set out in paragraphs 5.40 to 5.49 of the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (HC321). Copies of the guidance have been placed in the House Library.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of people served with  (a) antisocial behaviour orders and  (b) parental control orders have re-offended within two years since each was introduced.

Vernon Coaker: Data on re-offending while subject to an  (a) antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) and  (b) parenting order are not collected centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour: Internet

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on the website www.respect.gov.uk in each month since its inception; what the budget for the website is for 2008-09; how many staff are employed to maintain the website; and how many unique visitors there were to the website in each month since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: The antisocial behaviour Respect website www.respect.gov.uk began in October 2006. In 2006-07, the expenditure on the website was £73,000 and in 2007-08 it was £118,000. The 2008-09 budget for the website is currently under review. The website is run on behalf of the Home Office by Broadcasting Support Services (BSS) who employ one member of staff to maintain the content on the website.
	The number of unique visitors to the website each month for the period November 2006 to March 2008 is on the following table.
	
		
			  Monthly breakdown of unique visitors to the Respect Website 
			   Unique visitors 
			  2006  
			 November 23,282 
			 December 18,321 
			  2007  
			 January 31,214 
			 February 32,061 
			 March 35,002 
			 April 32,903 
			 May 41,523 
			 June 34,647 
			 July 31,589 
			 August 30,546 
			 September 32,055 
			 October 33,347 
			 November 33,620 
			 December 23,270 
			  2008  
			 January 29,743 
			 February 29,883 
			 March 31,025 
		
	
	Total unique visitors for November 2006 to March 2008 is 524,031.

Border and Immigration Agency

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many casework files have been lost by the Border and Immigration Agency in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested.

Crime: Genetics

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of crimes solved as a result of a DNA sample being on the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: It is estimated that over the period April 1998 to March 2007, there have been approximately 240,000 detections in which a DNA match was available and/or played a part in solving the crime. A breakdown of this figure by year is given in the following table. Figures for the 2007-08 financial year are not yet available.
	
		
			  Number of detections in which a DNA match was available or played a part April 1998 to March 2007 
			   Detected crimes in which a DNA match was available  Additional detections arising from DNA match( 1)  Total detected crimes in which a DNA match was available or played a part 
			 1998-99 6,151 n/a 6,151 
			 1999-00 8,612 n/a 8,612 
			 2000-01 14,785 n/a 14,785 
			 2001-02 15,894 6,509 22,403 
			 2002-03 21,098 12,717 33,815 
			 2003-04 20,489 15,899 36,388 
			 2004-05 19,873 15,732 35,605 
			 2005-06 20,349 19,960 40,309 
			 2006-07 19,949 21,199 41,148 
			 Total 147,200 92,016 239,216 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Additional detections may result from the original crime with the DNA match due to the identification of further offences through forensic linkage or through admission by the offender. On average, each 'crime detected in which a DNA match was available' now results in a further 1.06 crimes being detected.

Crimes of Violence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in Bury St Edmunds constituency in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Statistics are not collected specifically on a constituency basis. The Home Office does publish statistics at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area level. The number of offences of violence against the person for each of the last five years by CDRP is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrpog.xls
	Also available is a look-up table that identifies which constituencies are associated with CDRPs. In many instances, a CDRP may comprise of more than one constituency. Conversely, some constituencies will come within two or more CDRPs, either wholly or partially. The look-up table is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrp-constituency-table.xls
	Copies of both the statistics table and the look-up table are available in the Library.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) her Department and  (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Neither the Department nor its executive non-departmental public bodies (the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the National Policing Improvement Agency, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, and the Security Industry Authority) offer a Cycle to Work scheme to their employees.
	However, to encourage green commuting, the department does offer an interest free advance for staff purchasing a bicycle, and bicycle safety equipment, for travelling to and from the work place.
	This is a tax free benefit in kind and the same tax treatment applies to employees of government departments as to any other employee.

Driving Offences: Fines

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were fined for speeding in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each police force area in each year since 1997; and how much was paid in fines for speeding in each area in each year.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 November 2007,  Official Report, column 666W.

Extradition: Equatorial Guinea

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the extradition to Equatorial Guinea of people suspected of the participation in the attempted coup in that country.

Meg Hillier: As a matter of normal policy and practice, it would not be right to comment on particular events.
	There are no general extradition arrangements in place between the United Kingdom and Equatorial Guinea. Where there are no such arrangements, the Extradition Act 2003 contains certain specific provisions whereby, in appropriate cases, ad hoc international arrangements may be entered into under which the possibility of extradition would then fall to be considered.

Extradition: USA

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited from the UK to the US in the last three years.

Meg Hillier: For the period 2005 to 2007, a total of 42 people have been extradited from the UK to the US. 14 were extradited in 2005, 19 in 2006 and nine last year.

Extradition: USA

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited from the UK to the US to face charges for activities which would not be a criminal matter in the UK in the last three years.

Meg Hillier: None. The 2003 UK-US extradition treaty stipulates that an offence shall be an extradition offence if the conduct on which the offence is based is punishable under the laws of both states by deprivation of liberty for a period of one year or a more severe penalty. This is reflected in our domestic law. This means no-one can be extradited from one jurisdiction to the other for conduct that is not criminalised in both countries.

Immigration: Prisoner Escapes

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) illegal immigrants and  (b) failed asylum seekers detained by the police have absconded en route to immigration detention or removal centres in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: In 2008 to date there has been one abscond en route from a police station to an immigration removal centre. The detainee was a failed asylum seeker.
	In 2007 there were three absconds: one illegal entrant, two failed asylum seekers.
	In 2006 there was one abscond who was an illegal entrant.
	In 2005 there were two absconds, both failed asylum seekers.
	Figures prior to 2005 are not available due to a change in escorting contractor.

Offensive Weapons

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each police force area were convicted for possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences relating to possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, by police force area for the years 1997 to 2006, can be found in the following table.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. Information for 2007 will be available in late November 2008.
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty at all courts for offences relating to possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, by police force area for the years 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			  Force  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Avon and Somerset 18 32 6 9 27 15 20 18 25 21 
			 Bedfordshire 14 8 2 2 5 10 9 7 6 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 17 8 9 1 5 12 4 3 8 
			 Cheshire 8 5 8 4 5 6 4 20 11 16 
			 City of London 1 4 1 1 — 4 2 5 — 1 
			 Cleveland 7 12 7 8 5 6 11 11 13 8 
			 Cumbria 2 7 2 4 4 1 4 8 8 3 
			 Derbyshire 4 6 13 12 5 14 6 15 17 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16 13 10 8 10 13 16 15 12 11 
			 Dorset 4 2 2 4 7 5 8 7 8 8 
			 Durham 5 6 9 9 6 5 12 11 14 6 
			 Essex 29 37 22 22 15 25 18 29 22 26 
			 Gloucestershire 4 6 5 6 5 3 9 6 6 5 
			 Greater Manchester 53 100 57 55 57 51 55 115 108 94 
			 Hampshire 18 18 18 15 9 21 16 15 28 24 
			 Hertfordshire 11 9 8 8 10 5 5 16 23 23 
			 Humberside 4 5 5 7 8 9 9 14 17 11 
			 Kent 13 20 11 22 29 18 22 18 11 28 
			 Lancashire 10 32 12 19 17 11 15 22 27 18 
			 Leicestershire 18 29 15 26 20 13 16 17 17 16 
			 Lincolnshire 2 6 10 13 4 2 5 6 6 6 
			 Merseyside 24 31 20 14 18 19 25 54 68 56 
			 Metropolitan Police 238 270 221 173 224 257 297 268 302 317 
			 Norfolk 4 8 7 6 4 5 2 12 9 9 
			 North Yorkshire 5 11 7 7 3 1 6 3 3 5 
			 Northamptonshire 5 6 11 4 4 5 4 4 7 2 
			 Northumbria 33 43 43 32 40 26 45 38 38 34 
			 Nottinghamshire 12 20 12 16 16 12 28 23 27 30 
			 South Yorkshire 18 24 22 19 11 17 21 23 27 35 
			 Staffordshire(3) 8 8 7 (3)— 6 16 8 15 13 9 
			 Suffolk 2 2 4 8 5 4 7 7 6 8 
			 Surrey 1 5 4 7 7 8 6 7 4 7 
			 Sussex 8 10 8 4 11 9 14 18 21 15 
			 Thames Valley 30 30 23 15 11 16 20 24 22 20 
			 Warwickshire 9 5 5 4 3 7 4 7 6 6 
			 West Mercia(4) 9 6 11 5 7 7 5 11 6 11 
			 West Midlands 84 92 87 74 71 79 66 72 69 78 
			 West Yorkshire 33 72 55 36 33 38 33 52 51 47 
			 Wiltshire 1 7 5 6 8 6 4 6 10 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 5 2 7 3 3 5 4 4 1 
			 Gwent — 2 4 8 5 4 4 6 4 7 
			 North Wales 6 4 7 1 1 3 3 7 5 8 
			 South Wales 8 9 16 11 17 11 18 21 24 15 
			 England and Wales 790 1,044 812 720 757 795 899 1,061 1,108 1,077 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4 )Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:  Firearms Act, 1968 Sec 5(1) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 S.288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition.  Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(l)(b) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious liquid etc.  Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(lA)(a) (Group 1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing firearm disguised as other object  Firearms Act 1968 Sec 5(1A) (b),(c),(d)(e),(f) or (g) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing other prohibited weapons (5 )Includes revisions to Cumbria and Sussex for the years 2004 and 2005  Source:  RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice Reform

Personation

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has considered to reduce the incidence of crime related to identity fraud.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 21 April 2008
	Our plans for the national identity scheme will provide people with a highly secure means of protecting and proving their identity. We have already introduced new criminal offences, provided more powers to share data to combat fraud, ensured better co-ordination in prosecuting fraudsters, and worked in partnership with public and private sector organisations to raise public awareness.

Police: Bureaucracy

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average time required by a police officer to complete the formal documentation of criminal evidence following an arrest for  (a) burglary,  (b) car theft and  (c) criminal damage; and what steps she has taken to (i) monitor and (ii) reduce the time spent on procedural tasks by police officers.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 28 April 2008,  Official Report, column 100W.

Police: Managers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the name of each chief police officer (CPO) in England and Wales is; who the assistant CPO is in each case; and how long each CPO has been in post.

Tony McNulty: The following table gives the name of each chief constable and deputy chief constable and the date of each chief constable's appointment.
	
		
			  Chief constables and deputy chief constables and equivalent ranks—as at 1 April 2008 
			  Force  Name  CC in post since 
			 Avon and Somerset CC Colin Port 27 January 2005 
			  DCC Rob Beckley  
			
			 Bedfordshire CC Gillian Parker 4 July 2005 
			  DCC Martin Stuart  
			
			 Cambridgeshire CC Julie Spence 10 December 2005 
			  DCC John Feavyour  
			
			 Cheshire CC Peter Fahy 8 December 2002 
			  DCC Graeme Gerrard  
			
			 City of London Commissioner Michael Bowron 16 February 2007 
			  Asst Commissioner Frank Armstrong  
			
			 Cleveland CC Sean Price 31 March 2003 
			  DCC Ronald Hogg  
			
			 Cumbria CC Craig Mackey 17 September 2007 
			  DCC Christine Twigg  
			
			 Derbyshire CC Mick Creedon 1 October 2007 
			  DCC Alan Goodwin  
			
			 Devon and Cornwall CC Stephen Otter 15 January 2007 
			  DCC Tony Melville  
			
			 Dorset CC Martin Baker 1 January 2005 
			  DCC Christopher Lee  
			
			 Durham CC Jon Stoddart 28 March 2007 
			  DCC Gary Barnett  
			
			 Dyfed-Powys DCC Andrew Edwards (currently acting CC) — 
			
			 Essex CC Roger Baker 1 July 2005 
			  DCC Andy Bliss  
			
			 Gloucestershire CC Dr. Tim Brain 31 March 2001 
			  DCC Mark Polin  
			
			 Greater Manchester DCC David Whatton (currently acting CC) — 
			
			 Gwent CC Mike Tonge 1 April 2004 
			  DCC Michael Giannasi  
			
			 Hampshire CC Paul Kernaghan 21 September 1999 
			  DCC Ian Readhead  
			
			 Hertfordshire CC Frank Whiteley 4 October 2004 
			  DCC Simon Parr  
			
			 Humberside CC Tim Hollis 1 April 2005 
			  DCC David Griffin  
			
			 Kent CC Michael Fuller 1 January 2004 
			  DCC Adrian Leppard  
			
			 Lancashire CC Stephen Finnigan 23 March 2007 
			  DCC Michael Cunningham  
			
			 Leicestershire CC Matthew Baggott 9 December 2002 
			  DCC David Lindley  
			
			 Lincolnshire CC Tony Lake 24 September 2003 
			  DCC Richard Crompton  
			
			 Merseyside CC Bernard Hogan-Howe 13 November 2004 
			  DCC Bernard Lawson  
			
			 Metropolitan Commissioner Sir Ian Blair 1 February 2005 
			  Dep Commissioner Paul Stephenson 16 March 2005 
			  Asst Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur 30 April 2001 
			  Asst Commissioner Tim Godwin 16 January 2003 
			  Asst Commissioner Bob Quick 1 March 2008 
			  Asst Commissioner John Yates 3 January 2007 
			
			 Norfolk CC Ian McPherson 29 December 2006 
			  DCC Ian Learmonth  
			
			 Northamptonshire CC Peter Maddison 5 May 2003 
			  DCC Davina Logan  
			
			 Northumbria CC Michael Craik 1 April 2005 
			  DCC David Warcup  
			
			 North Wales CC Richard Brunstrom 30 December 2000 
			  DCC Clive Wolfendale  
			
			 North Yorkshire CC Grahame Maxwell 16 May 2007 
			  DCC Adam Briggs  
			
			 Nottinghamshire CC Stephen Green 24 June 2000 
			  DCC Howard Roberts  
			
			 South Wales CC Barbara Wilding 1 January 2004 
			  DCC Peter Vaughan  
			
			 South Yorkshire CC Meredydd Hughes 1 September 2004 
			  DCC Bob Dyson  
			
			 Staffordshire CC Chris Sims 24 September 2007 
			  DCC Adrian Lee  
			
			 Suffolk CC Simon Ash 4 June 2007 
			  DCC Jacqui Cheer  
			
			 Surrey DCC Mark Rowley (currently temp CC) — 
			
			 Sussex CC Martin Richards 1 October 2007 
			  Acting DCC Jeremy Paine  
			
			 Thames Valley CC Sara Thornton 1 April 2007 
			  DCC Alex Marshall  
			
			 Warwickshire CC Keith Bristow 8 December 2006 
			  DCC Andrew Parker  
			
			 West Mercia CC Paul West 1 August 2003 
			  DCC Ian Arundale  
			
			 West Midlands CC Sir Paul Scott-Lee 23 September 2002 
			  DCC Philip Gormley  
			
			 West Yorkshire CC Sir Norman Bettison 29 January 2007 
			  DCC Julia Hodson  
			
			 Wiltshire CC Brian Moore 1 January 2008 
			  DCC Stephen Long

Sexual Offences

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each police force basic command unit area were  (a) added to and  (b) on the National Sex Offenders Register in each year since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the number of registered sex offenders in each police force basic command unit for the years 2005-06 and 2006-07, before when these data were not broken down by basic command unit area. This information is published in local multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) annual reports, which are available in the House Libraries and at:
	http://www.probation.justice.gov.uk/output/page30.asp.
	The number of registered sex offenders in each police force basic command unit was not collated in previous years.
	
		
			RSOs 
			  Area  BCU Name  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset Bristol 271 270 
			 Avon and Somerset South Gloucestershire 78 84 
			 Avon and Somerset Bath and North East Somerset 72 72 
			 Avon and Somerset Somerset East 115 130 
			 Avon and Somerset Somerset West 163 158 
			 Avon and Somerset North Somerset 88 95 
			 Bedfordshire North Beds and Central 262 232 
			 Bedfordshire Luton 132 91 
			 Cambridgeshire Northern 153 172 
			 Cambridgeshire Central 123 122 
			 Cambridgeshire Southern 111 113 
			 Cheshire Western 154 174 
			 Cheshire Northern 198 212 
			 Cheshire Eastern 185 191 
			 County Durham North 163 180 
			 County Durham South 164 168 
			 Cumbria North 100 108 
			 Cumbria South 82 78 
			 Cumbria West 78 94 
			 Derbyshire A Division 119 114 
			 Derbyshire B Division 58 62 
			 Derbyshire C Division 190 175 
			 Derbyshire D Division 261 258 
			 Devon and Cornwall Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 306 332 
			 Devon and Cornwall Plymouth 182 198 
			 Devon and Cornwall North and East Devon 196 188 
			 Devon and Cornwall South and West Devon 194 202 
			 Devon and Cornwall HQ Public Protection Unit 1 0 
			 Dorset Poole 122 63 
			 Dorset Eastern 59 80 
			 Dorset Western 69 128 
			 Dorset Bournemouth 147 144 
			 Dyfed-Powys Carmarthenshire 99 95 
			 Dyfed-Powys Ceredigion 43 40 
			 Dyfed-Powys Pembrokeshire 73 76 
			 Dyfed-Powys Powys 93 88 
			 Essex South Western 183 161 
			 Essex South Eastern 157 156 
			 Essex Eastern 168 145 
			 Essex Western 110 107 
			 Essex Central 184 166 
			 Gloucestershire Cheltenham and Tewkesbury 106 104 
			 Gloucestershire Stroud and Cotswolds 70 76 
			 Gloucestershire Gloucester and Forest 135 131 
			 Greater Manchester North Manchester 149 148 
			 Greater Manchester Metropolitan 167 165 
			 Greater Manchester South Manchester 115 121 
			 Greater Manchester Salford 158 158 
			 Greater Manchester Tameside 104 113 
			 Greater Manchester Stockport 139 141 
			 Greater Manchester Bolton 155 171 
			 Greater Manchester Wigan 154 162 
			 Greater Manchester Trafford 95 91 
			 Greater Manchester Bury 129 145 
			 Greater Manchester Rochdale 133 149 
			 Greater Manchester Oldham 145 158 
			 Gwent A Division (Newport) 120 128 
			 Gwent B Division (Monmouthshire and Torfaen) 109 116 
			 Gwent C Division (Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly) 162 178 
			 Hampshire Central OUC 289 n/a 
			 Hampshire Isle of Wight OUC 83 n/a 
			 Hampshire North and East OUC 170 n/a 
			 Hampshire Portsmouth OUC 219 n/a 
			 Hampshire Southampton OUC 188 n/a 
			 Hampshire Western OUC 169 n/a 
			 Hertfordshire East and North Herts 119 165 
			 Hertfordshire Central Herts 116 118 
			 Hertfordshire Watford and Three Rivers 162 117 
			 Humberside Hull 260 266 
			 Humberside Grimsby 135  
			 Humberside Scunthorpe 150 131 
			 Humberside East Riding of Yorkshire 170 142 
			 Kent North Kent 112 92 
			 Kent West Kent 95 135 
			 Kent Maidstone 115 188 
			 Kent Medway 175 186 
			 Kent Swale 68 n/a 
			 Kent Canterbury 73 n/a 
			 Kent Thanet 119 n/a 
			 Kent South East Kent 113 191 
			 Kent Weald 71 135 
			 Lancashire Western 198 224 
			 Lancashire Northern 167 179 
			 Lancashire Southern 135 148 
			 Lancashire Central 75 75 
			 Lancashire Eastern 236 231 
			 Lancashire Pennine 130 141 
			 Leicestershire North 117 147 
			 Leicestershire East 122 125 
			 Leicestershire West 161 0 
			 Leicestershire Central 131 262 
			 Lincolnshire East 118 126 
			 Lincolnshire South 108 109 
			 Lincolnshire West 175 189 
			 London Barking and Dagenham 70 84 
			 London Barnet 79 82 
			 London Bexley 57 78 
			 London Brent 132 108 
			 London Bromley 128 106 
			 London Camden 73 92 
			 London Croydon 142 150 
			 London Ealing 145 130 
			 London Enfield 98 98 
			 London Greenwich 115 101 
			 London Hackney 106 129 
			 London Hammersmith and Fulham 52 53 
			 London Haringey 102 122 
			 London Harrow 64 68 
			 London Havering 49 65 
			 London Hillingdon 78 95 
			 London Hounslow 71 82 
			 London Islington 92 97 
			 London Kensington and Chelsea 77 72 
			 London Kingston 40 51 
			 London Lambeth 184 167 
			 London Lewisham 164 174 
			 London Merton 77 63 
			 London Newham 117 115 
			 London Redbridge 76 88 
			 London Richmond 60 62 
			 London Southwark 150 170 
			 London Sutton 57 53 
			 London Tower Hamlets 81 84 
			 London Waltham Forest 165 122 
			 London Wandsworth 126 103 
			 London Westminster 83 82 
			 London City of London 3 5 
			 Merseyside Liverpool North 234 232 
			 Merseyside Liverpool South 239 267 
			 Merseyside Sefton 167 160 
			 Merseyside Wirral 65 67 
			 Merseyside St Helens 95 92 
			 Merseyside Knowsley 145 141 
			 Norfolk Eastern 165 184 
			 Norfolk Central 222 234 
			 Norfolk Western 115 128 
			 North Wales Eastern 158 165 
			 North Wales Western 104 98 
			 North Wales Central 133 142 
			 North Yorkshire Central 140 157 
			 North Yorkshire Western 83 89 
			 North Yorkshire Eastern 115 113 
			 Northamptonshire North 137 124 
			 Northamptonshire West 207 231 
			 Northumbria Newcastle 163 239 
			 Northumbria Sunderland 63 172 
			 Northumbria Northumberland 125 137 
			 Northumbria South Tyneside 127 61 
			 Northumbria North Tyneside 284 125 
			 Northumbria Gateshead 136 136 
			 Nottinghamshire A Division (Mansfield and Ashfield) 150 166 
			 Nottinghamshire B Division (Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood) 108 114 
			 Nottinghamshire C Division (Nottingham City) 327 341 
			 Nottinghamshire D Division (South Notts Including Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe Boroughs) 127 126 
			 South Wales A Division (Rhondda Cynon Taff / Merthyr Tydfil) 149 136 
			 South Wales C Division (Cardiff) 211 232 
			 South Wales E Division (Vale of Glamorgan) 72 69 
			 South Wales F Division (Bridgend) 61 60 
			 South Wales G Division (Neath Port Talbot) 60 67 
			 South Wales H Division (Swansea) 127 131 
			 South Yorkshire Barnsley 12 118 
			 South Yorkshire Doncaster 233 242 
			 South Yorkshire Rotherham 157 162 
			 South Yorkshire Sheffield One 91 96 
			 South Yorkshire Sheffield Two 194 212 
			 South Yorkshire PPU 4 0 
			 Staffordshire North Staffs 106 113 
			 Staffordshire Chase 165 176 
			 Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent 214 242 
			 Staffordshire Trent Valley 142 145 
			 Suffolk West 106 102 
			 Suffolk Southern 172 185 
			 Suffolk Surrey Eastern 115 126 
			 Surrey A Division (North Surrey) 79 93 
			 Surrey B Division (East Surrey) 108 109 
			 Surrey C Division (West Surrey) 118 129 
			 Surrey D Division (North West Surrey) 85 95 
			 Sussex West Downs 226 233 
			 Sussex North Downs 145 138 
			 Sussex East Sussex 278 273 
			 Sussex Brighton and Hove 155 145 
			 Sussex Gatwick 0 0 
			 Teesside Hartlepool 41 42 
			 Teesside Stockton 106 115 
			 Teesside Middlesbrough 124 119 
			 Teesside Redcar and Cleveland 83 81 
			 Thames Valley Oxfordshire 306 323 
			 Thames Valley West Berkshire 224 227 
			 Thames Valley East Berkshire 141 152 
			 Thames Valley Milton Keynes 129 130 
			 Thames Valley Buckinghamshire 136 150 
			 Warwickshire North 132 148 
			 Warwickshire South 100 111 
			 West Mercia South Worcs 174 193 
			 West Mercia North Worcs 145 142 
			 West Mercia Hereford 106 106 
			 West Mercia Telford 95 99 
			 West Mercia Shropshire 112 109 
			 West Midlands Birmingham D1 134 119 
			 West Midlands Birmingham D2 93 88 
			 West Midlands Birmingham D3 117 127 
			 West Midlands Birmingham E1 125 117 
			 West Midlands Birmingham E2 76 78 
			 West Midlands Birmingham E3 91 83 
			 West Midlands Birmingham F1 37 40 
			 West Midlands Birmingham F2 100 79 
			 West Midlands Birmingham F3 86 61 
			 West Midlands Wolverhampton G1 88 78 
			 West Midlands Wolverhampton G2 131 128 
			 West Midlands Walsall H1 78 79 
			 West Midlands Walsall H2 78 80 
			 West Midlands Dudley J1 86 95 
			 West Midlands Dudley J2 87 84 
			 West Midlands Sandwell K1 109 99 
			 West Midlands Sandwell K2 91 117 
			 West Midlands Solihull L 103 104 
			 West Midlands Coventry M1 77 72 
			 West Midlands Coventry M2 73 62 
			 West Midlands Coventry M3 65 60 
			 West Yorkshire Pudsey and Weetwood 204 200 
			 West Yorkshire Chapeltown 81 160 
			 West Yorkshire Kilingbeck 88 n/a 
			 West Yorkshire City and Holbeck 139 152 
			 West Yorkshire Wakefield and Pontefract 207 204 
			 West Yorkshire Kirklees 272 277 
			 West Yorkshire Calderdale 118 119 
			 West Yorkshire Bradford South 96 89 
			 West Yorkshire Bradford North 94 107 
			 West Yorkshire Keighley 74 79 
			 Wiltshire A Division (Kennet and Salisbury) 76 84 
			 Wiltshire B Division (North and West Wiltshire) 126 137 
			 Wiltshire C Division (Swindon Borough) 114 135

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people had their vehicle stopped and searched under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in each year since 1997; and how many of those were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of (i) a notifiable offence and (ii) a terrorism-related offence in (A) each police force area and (B) England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The available information held by the Ministry of Justice is given in the following table for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06 (latest available). Information on searches of 'persons' and 'vehicles only' cannot be separately identified prior to 1998-99. The information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on stop and searches is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecutions and convictions.
	
		
			  Searches of vehicles( 1)  under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, by police force area, 1998-99 to 2005-06 ,  England and Wales 
			  Police force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04( 2)  2004-05( 2)  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 716 672 399 504 696 458 265 149 
			 Bedfordshire 40 58 39 53 48 48 15 12 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 77 114 207 223 202 166 18 
			 Cheshire 966 796 603 364 634 350 888 368 
			 Cleveland 277 190 218 159 150 129 125 99 
			 Cumbria 475 360 284 281 96 78 91 134 
			 Derbyshire 1,259 1,583 500 431 433 424 366 248 
			 Devon and Cornwall 944 702 601 707 481 293 92 126 
			 Dorset 241 450 474 193 157 126 74 77 
			 Durham 84 93 64 117 85 79 84 39 
			 Essex 725 887 1,115 775 518 157 141 66 
			 Gloucestershire 519 650 562 567 629 560 618 30 
			 Greater Manchester 1,752 1,555 1,338 1,323 1,571 678 713 358 
			 Hampshire 207 448 243 202 182 203 221 96 
			 Hertfordshire 488 407 372 304 31 185 244 86 
			 Humberside — 6 144 23 170 144 164 25 
			 Kent 7,218 5,657 2,595 1,230 535 — — — 
			 Lancashire — 611 438 695 631 694 608 281 
			 Leicestershire 878 303 439 1,069 471 814 1,753 2,266 
			 Lincolnshire 734 314 149 155 219 217 233 50 
			 London, City of 2 10 13 5 25 5 30 40 
			 Merseyside 1,095 581 1,753 1,770 1,313 200 143 117 
			 Metropolitan Police 4,663 2,552 2,791 2,899 4,058 1,390 1,129 1,174 
			 Norfolk 522 339 463 1,084 130 179 164 40 
			 Northamptonshire 181 337 278 268 296 246 79 91 
			 Northumbria 1,147 632 437 377 365 193 196 246 
			 North Yorkshire 396 386 202 251 226 179 47 52 
			 Nottinghamshire 241 140 286 269 349 820 101 235 
			 South Yorkshire 703 863 929 734 681 419 424 517 
			 Staffordshire 210 173 149 205 214 279 161 139 
			 Suffolk 812 490 278 259 316 153 204 1,021 
			 Surrey 119 71 82 69 78 91 63 43 
			 Sussex 480 639 738 759 445 486 545 613 
			 Thames Valley 773 467 437 343 607 274 213 264 
			 Warwickshire 304 424 331 272 229 173 105 114 
			 West Mercia 460 3,416 2,317 1,086 — — — — 
			 West Midlands 245 35 — — — 40 103 — 
			 West Yorkshire 4,310 4,510 3,219 4,773 7,748 1,115 1,429 1,045 
			 Wiltshire 813 542 432 349 — — — — 
			 Dyfed Powys 5,299 4,131 357 73 56 62 59 79 
			 Gwent 1,058 812 682 731 422 270 303 116 
			 North Wales 744 636 372 296 429 144 82 40 
			 South Wales 826 1,008 741 806 412 168 118 8 
			 England and Wales 43,016 39,013 27,978 27,037 26,359 12,725 12,559 10,522 
			 (1) Searches may be conducted on vehicles only, occupants only, or both may be searched. Where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table are where a vehicle only has been searched. (2 )Figures have been updated since publication of the respective bulletins.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.  Source:  Stops/Searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people had their vehicle stopped and searched under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each year since 1997; and how many of those were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of (i) a notifiable offence and (ii) a terrorism-related offence in (A) each police force area and (B) England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The available information held by the Ministry of Justice is given in the following table for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06. Information on searches of 'persons' and 'vehicles only' cannot be separately identified prior to 1998-99.
	The information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on stop and searches is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecutions and convictions and we therefore cannot identify the individual circumstances of those offenders who have been prosecuted and convicted of notifiable and terrorism related offences.
	
		
			  Searches of vehicles( 1)  under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, by police force area, 1998 - 99 to 2005 - 06: England and Wales 
			   Period 
			  Police force area  1998 - 99( 2)  1999 - 2000  2000 - 01  2001 - 02  2002 - 03( 2)  2003 - 04( 2)  2004 - 05( 2)  2005 - 06 
			 Avon and Somerset — __ __ __ 1 129 __ __ 
			 Bedfordshire — __ __ __ __ __ 1 __ 
			 Cambridgeshire __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Cheshire __ __ 12 12 2 72 __ __ 
			 Cleveland __ __ __ __ __ __ 1 __ 
			 Cumbria __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Derbyshire __ __ 1 1 __ __ __ __ 
			 Devon and Cornwall __ __ __ __ __ __ — __ 
			 Dorset 1 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Durham __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Essex __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Gloucestershire __ __ 18 1 __ 3 __ __ 
			 Greater Manchester __ 2 27 15 25 12 15 4 
			 Hampshire __ 1 __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Hertfordshire __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Humberside __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Kent 10 25 28 1 5 __ __ __ 
			 Lancashire __ __ __ 5 2 2 3 1 
			 Leicestershire __ __ __ 5 2 1 __ 2 
			 Lincolnshire __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 London, City of __ __ __ 1 __ __ __ __ 
			 Merseyside __ __ __ __ __ 2 4 8 
			 Metropolitan Police __ 2 7 65 117 11 1 3 
			 Norfolk __ 7 __ 7 __ 1 __ __ 
			 Northamptonshire __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Northumbria __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 1 
			 North Yorkshire __ __ __ __ 1 1 __ __ 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 12 3 __ 7 __ 5 2 
			 South Yorkshire __ __ __ __ 8 __ __ __ 
			 Staffordshire 2 1 __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Suffolk __ __ 28 3 4 __ __ 1 
			 Surrey __ __ __ __ 2 __ __ __ 
			 Sussex __ __ __ 2 __ __ __ 5 
			 Thames Valley 2 __ __ __ __ 1 __ __ 
			 Warwickshire __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 West Mercia 19 __ __ 7 __ __ __ __ 
			 West Midlands 2 __ __ __ __ 6 3 __ 
			 West Yorkshire __ __ __ 137 56 1 1 __ 
			 Wiltshire 38 1 __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 
			 Gwent __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 1 
			 North Wales __ __ __ __ __ __ __ — 
			 South Wales 2 __ __ __ __ 1 2 __ 
			 England and Wales 82 51 124 262 232 243 36 28 
			 (1) Searches may be conducted on vehicles only, occupants only, or both may be searched. Where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table are where a vehicle only has been searched. (2) Figures have been updated since publication of the respective bulletins.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.  Source: Stops/searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity and  (c) age was of each person stopped under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each year since the relevant provisions came into force.

Vernon Coaker: The available information held by the Ministry of Justice is given in the following table for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06 which shows the total number of stop and searches of persons by ethnic appearance under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
	Information on stop and searches by sex and age is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Total stop and searches of persons under s60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in England and Wales, by ethnic appearance, 1998-99 to 2005-06 
			   Ethnic appearance 
			   White  Black  Asian  Other  Not known  Total 
			 1998-99 4,503 338 294 50 1,869 7,054 
			 1999-2000 4,728 1,185 744 227 269 7,153 
			 2000-01 5,054 3,096 2,704 187 162 11,203 
			 2001-02 9,172 4,435 4,441 269 322 18,639 
			 2002-03 24,179 11,204 6,979 1,095 712 44,169 
			 2003-04 23,868 9,385 5,627 688 625 40,193 
			 2004-05 23,245 9,832 6,844 809 571 41,301 
			 2005-06 22,993 7,202 4,857 596 600 36,248

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) of 13 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 85-6W, on stop and search, how many times the power to authorise stop and search for offensive weapons within a specified area for the period of 24 hours under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 was used by a senior police officer in each year since 2005-06.

Vernon Coaker: The 2005-06 information given in the answer to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) of 13 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 85-6W, is the most recent available. Data for 2006-07 will be published later this year.

Stop and Search

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government  (a) has set and  (b) plans to set targets for stop and searches by police officers in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The use of stop and search powers is an operational matter for police officers in light of local policing priorities and individual circumstances, therefore, no Government targets have been set for stop and search and there are no plans to set any.

Surveillance: Members

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions hon. Members who have taken the Oath have been the subject of  (a) surveillance,  (b) intercept since 1997; on how many occasions hon. Members have been party to conversations or meetings while the other person has been the subject of  (a) surveillance and  (b) intercept since 1997; and what the terms of the Wilson doctrine are.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 26 February 2008
	It has been the longstanding practice for successive Governments not to comment on surveillance or interception operations. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair's written answer to Norman Baker MP on the terms of the Wilson Doctrine on 19 December 2001,  Official Report, column 367W, and his subsequent confirmation that it continues to apply 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 95 and 96WS. His earlier written reply to a question by Norman Baker on 4 December 1997,  Official Report, column 321W, made it clear that the Wilson Doctrine applied to telephone interception and to the use of electronic surveillance by any of the three security and intelligence agencies. This is still the position.
	As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced to the House on 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 539, conversations between Members of Parliament doing their constituency business with their constituents should be considered as "confidential information", and treated in the same way as other confidential information, such as conversations between a person and their lawyer or Minister of Religion. The relevant Codes of Practice will be amended.

Tobacco: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) offences were recorded,  (b) police cautions have been issued and  (c) fines have been imposed on (i) confectioners and tobacconists and (ii) other retailers selling tobacco products to those aged under 16 in each year since 1997; and what the average fine levied in each of those years was.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling tobacco products to those aged under 16 years is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics.
	Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the following table for 1997-2006. No information is collected centrally to distinguish between confectionists, tobacconists and other retailers.
	
		
			  Offenders( 1)  cautioned( 2)  and fined for selling tobacco etc. to persons under 16( 3)  England and Wales 
			   Number of police cautions issued  Number of fines imposed  Average fine amount (£) 
			 1997 5 90 238 
			 1998 — 115 226 
			 1999 3 90 237 
			 2000 2 113 349 
			 2001 1 74 301 
			 2002 2 67 283 
			 2003 — 82 322 
			 2004 — 50 274 
			 2005 2 56 328 
			 2006 3 51 330 
			 (1) Companies, public bodies, etc.  (2) These data are on a principal offence basis. (3) Children and Young Persons Act 1933 sec. 7 as amended by the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 sec. 1  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Source: Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice.

Video Games: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences  (a) in England and Wales and  (b) in each police force area were recorded in respect of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers in each year since 1997; how many related police cautions were issued in each of those years; and (i) how many related fines were issued and (ii) what the average fine levied was in each of those years.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics.
	Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the following table for 1997-2006.
	
		
			  Offenders( 1)  cautioned( 2)  and fined for supplying video recording of classified work in breach of classification( 3—) England and Wales 
			   Number of police cautions issued  Number of fines imposed  Average fine amount (£) 
			 1997 1 15 519 
			 1998 — 18 440 
			 1999 — 33 798 
			 2000 — 16 1,028 
			 2001 — 9 1,378 
			 2002 — 12 1,079 
			 2003 1 14 921 
			 2004 — 6 775 
			 2005 — 8 489 
			 2006 — 8 1,244 
			 (1) Companies, public bodies, etc. (2) These data are on a principal offence basis. (3) Video Recording Act 1984 S.11 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 S.88 (4)  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Video Recordings: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many test purchases relating to the sale of video works to under age persons  (a) were undertaken and  (b) led to prosecution in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Both the police and Trading Standards can routinely conduct test purchases locally in line with local operational priorities. These details are not centrally collated by the Home Office, so no records of all such test purchases are available.
	Data held centrally on prosecutions cannot separately identify "test purchases" or criminal proceedings brought before court as a result of "test purchase" operations.

JUSTICE

Apex Communications

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what payments were made from the public purse, on what dates, and for what purposes to Euro RSCG Apex Communications in respect of  (a) the Carter Review of Prisons and  (b) the Review of Funding of Political Parties; and what ongoing financial or contractual arrangements exist in each case.

Maria Eagle: The responses covering each review are as follows:
	 (a) Carter Review of Prisons
	Dates of invoices: 30 July 2007, 24 August 2007, 21 September 2007, 22 October 2007, 28 November 2007
	Amounts: £2,350.00 per invoice
	Total payments: £11,750.00
	Purpose: fee for communications support
	The work of Lord Carter's Review of Prisons has concluded therefore no ongoing financial or contractual arrangements exist.
	 (b) Review of the Funding of Political Parties
	Date of invoice: 26 March 2007
	Amount: £9,940.50
	Purpose: fee for communications support
	Date of invoice: 8 August 2007
	Amount: £5,875.00
	Purpose: fee for communications support
	Date of invoice: 28 November 2007
	Amount: £4,700.00
	Purpose: Work relating to the conclusion of the inter-party talks
	Date of invoice: 28 January 2008
	Amount: £1,175.00
	Purpose: Additional work for Sir Hayden Phillips
	All figures are inclusive of VAT.
	These invoices include work carried out by Euro RSCG Apex Communications for both the Review of the Funding of Political Parties and the Inter-Party Talks on Party Funding. Both of the reviews have concluded so there are no ongoing financial or contractual arrangements.

Courts: Religion

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to proposals that religious court should be allowed to arbitrate on some family and matrimonial disputes; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The United Kingdom does not accommodate religious legal systems as such in this country's laws and there is no intention to change this. Under section 10A of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, as amended by the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002, a court may refuse a decree absolute of divorce to parties who have not given their spouses a religious divorce although it does not allow recognition of the religious divorce. Currently, this provision only applies to members of the Jewish faith. However, it is open to any prescribed religious group to apply to the Lord Chancellor for recognition under this law should it wish to do so.
	In Muslim family disputes, the parties may choose to have their financial affairs and decisions about their children decided by a Sharia Council. If the parties wish to have that decision recognised by English authorities, they are at liberty to draft a consent order embodying the terms of the agreement and submit it to an English or Welsh court. This allows it to be scrutinised by an English or Welsh judge to ensure that it complies with English legal tenets. If the decision is made into a court order the English and Welsh courts can enforce it.
	Any member of any community has the right to refer to an English court at any point, particularly in the event that they feel pressured or coerced to resolve an issue in a way with which they feel uncomfortable.

Custodial Treatment: Young People

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) juvenile and  (b) young adult offenders were placed in custody for a breach of a community order in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following table gives the numbers of juveniles (aged under 18) and young adults (aged 18 to 20) received into all prison establishments in England and Wales for breach of all community sentences between 2002 and 2006, the latest year for which figures are available:
	
		
			   Under 18s  Age 18-20 
			 2002 187 428 
			 2003 242 555 
			 2004 365 621 
			 2005 404 695 
			 2006 448 911 
		
	
	It is not possible to separately identify those received into prison for breach of a specific community sentence such as a community order.
	Since 2001-02 the National Probation Service has achieved marked improvements in enforcement. The target is to take breach action within 10 working days of a second unacceptable failure to comply with an order (or third unacceptable failure to comply with a licence) in 90 per cent. of cases. The improvements are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Enforcement (target = 90 per cent.) 
			   Community Orders  Licences  Total 
			 2001-02 52 58 53 
			 2002-03 64 63 64 
			 2003-04 77 79 77 
			 2004-05 87 85 87 
			 2005-06 91 93 91 
			 2006-07 92 94 92 
			 2007-08 (April to December) 94 96 94 
		
	
	Over the same period, compliance levels have also increased (where compliance is defined as the proportion of orders and licences reaching the six months stage without requiring breach action), as shown.
	
		
			  Compliance 
			   Community Orders  Licences  Total 
			 2001-02 55 87 60 
			 2002-03 55 88 62 
			 2003-04 56 89 62 
			 2004-05 59 92 66 
			 2005-06 65 92 70 
			 2006-07 67 91 72 
			 2007-08 (April to December) 67 91 71 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Ministry is currently implementing a salary sacrifice Cycle to Work scheme for its employees. This scheme supports employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling employers to loan a cycle to an employee, for an agreed period. The Ministry also offers other tax free benefits in kind to encourage green commuting, namely access to an advance of salary up to £500 for the purchase of a bicycle and safety equipment. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee. Prison Service/NOMS currently does not offer a Cycle to Work Scheme.
	The Ministry's non-departmental public bodies have the authority to determine their own Cycle to Work schemes. The Legal Services Commission is planning to implement the scheme and this is also under consideration by the Office of the Information Commissioner. Advances for the purchase of a bicycle are offered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the Legal Services Commission.

Dangerous Driving

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to bringing forward proposals to  (a) make causing serious injury an aggravating factor when sentencing for persons convicted of dangerous driving,  (b) introduce a new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and  (c) increase the maximum sentence for persons convicted of dangerous driving; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Sentencing Guidelines Council guideline on seriousness deals with aggravating factors to be taken into account when sentencing generally. It includes among the factors indicating a more than usually serious degree of harm 'an especially serious physical or psychological effect on the victim, even if unintended'.
	Following the comprehensive "Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving" undertaken jointly by the Home Office and Department for Transport we introduced a range of measures including an increase in penalties for careless driving and new offences of causing death by careless driving or driving while disqualified, unlicensed or uninsured in the Road Safety Act 2006. These changes follow on from the increases in penalties for causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs, and causing death through aggravated vehicle-taking, in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. These changes take account of the special place that offences causing death have in the criminal law.
	While we appreciate that in other cases bad driving can have tragic consequences we do not think separate offences are appropriate. This is a particularly difficult area of law as the consequences of the offender's action are often wholly disproportionate to his culpability. We have no plans to increase the penalty for dangerous driving or for a further review at this time.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many public consultations were held by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Title of consultation  Number of respondents 
			  Department for Constitutional Affairs  
			  2005 (30 consultations published)  
			 Child Trust Fund Tax Appeals—The General Commissioners (Jurisdiction and Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (1)7 
			 Special Commissioners (Jurisdiction and Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (2)5 
			 Armed Forces pensions appeals (3)15 
			 Jury Research and Impropriety 41 
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunal—Fast Track Procedure Rules 6 
			 A Single Civil Court? 131 
			 Reform of Section 703 Tax Tribunal Appeal Routes 8 
			 Changes to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal Rules 1980: Appeals to the Social Security Commissioners (4)13 
			 Requirements for imprints on election material—alterations to be made to 8 
			   
			  Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000  
			 Care Standards Tribunal (CST): Lord Chancellor's Direction bringing cases before the Protection of Children Act Tribunal (POC AT) into the Scope of Civil Legal Aid. 2 
			 Administration of Estates—Review of the Statutory Legacy 33 
			 European Small Claims Procedure 21 
			 Barnet Family Pilot 15 
			 Telephone hearings in civil proceedings 34 
			 Dyfed Powys local bench merger 24 
			 West Mercia/Shropshire local bench merger 55 
			 Wetherby court closure 15 
			 EU divorce green paper 9 
			 Civil partnerships—changes to procedures 10 
			 Proposed changes to civil appeal rules 27 
			 Proposed changes to the Representation of the People Regulations 85 
			 Justices' Clerks: delegation of powers 75 
			 Civil and Family Court Fee Increases 49 
			 Gravesend Court Closure 16 
			 Focusing Judicial Resources Appropriately 156 
			 Authorisations to sit in family proceedings courts, and youth courts 299 
			 Specialisation of family magistrates 291 
			 CORE: the implementation of national access arrangements 118 
			 Alteration of the Local Justice Areas of Chorley, Ormskirk and South Ribble 68 
			 Parliamentary Costs Acts—proposed consolidation 2 
			   
			  2006 (28 consultations published)  
			 Lasting powers of attorney—forms and guidance Mental Capacity Act 118 
			 Civil Procedure Rules Section 36 61 
			 Lands Tribunal (Amendment) Rules 2006 4 
			 Inquiries Act rules 48 
			 Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice 161 
			 Criminal Defence Service Regulations 11 
			 Gwent local justice area merger 10 
			 A Model for the Provision of Justices' Clerks 212 
			 Data Protection Act s60 63 
			 Court of Protection Rules: Mental Capacity Act 1995 39 
			 Openness in the Family Courts—Confidence and Confidentiality (5)245 
			 Compensation (Claims Management Services) Regulations 2006 and the Regulatory Rules—Compensation Bill 60 
			 Legal Aid: a sustainable future (joint consultation with Legal Services Commission) 2372 
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunal Procedure Rules 8 
			 Return to Practice by Former Salaried Judges 26 
			 London Region Family Courts Centres 62 
			 Judges' power to dismiss representatives in very high cost cases 13 
			 Compensation Act 2006: authorisation application form and fee levels 12 
			 Family Procedure Rules 45 
			 Separate Representation of Children 95 
			 The Gambling Appeals Tribunal draft rules 2007 10 
			 Compensation Act 2006: exemptions from the requirement for authorisation: and trade union code of practice 61 
			 Mental Capacity Act 2005: Court of Protection and Office of the Public Guardian Fees 65 
			 Claims Management Services Tribunal 3 
			 Local Land Charges 177 
			 Court of Protection: Legal Aid funding 10 
			 FOI fees increase 324 
			 Prisoners' voting rights 88 
			   
			  2007 (36 consultations published)  
			 Local Justice Area merger South Somerset and Mendip 30 
			 Bailiff regulation Regulatory Impact Assessment 438 
			 Value Added Tax and Duties Tribunal—Amending Rules 6 
			 Professional Indemnity Insurance—Claims Management Regulation 32 
			 Civil Court Fees 77 
			 Part 46 Civil Procedure Rules—Fast Track Trial Costs 34 
			 Cost Recovery in Pro Bono Assisted Cases 20 
			 Case track limits and the claims process for personal injury claims 271 
			 Damages 102 
			   
			  Ministry of Justice consultations 9 May 2007 onwards  
			 Openness in the Family Courts—a new approach 112 
			 Cremation Regulations 73 
			 Referral to coroners 74 
			 Quality Assurance Scheme for publicly funded criminal defence advocates 22 
			 Review of Part 6 of the Civil Procedure Rules: Service of documents 60 
			 Network Access Agreements—Appeal Rules for Adjudicator to Land Registry 11 
			 Conditional Fee Agreements—Fixed Recoverable Success Fees in publication proceedings 20 
			 Fees for the Marked Register of Electors produced at UK elections 97 
			 Regulation of Claims Management Services—consultation on fee levels 2008-09 7 
			 Charity Tribunal Draft Rules 2007 23 
			 Criminal Defence Service (Recovery of Defence Costs Orders) Regulations 2001 11 
			 Changes to the Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme—de-prescribing the penalty notice form 21 
			 The debt claim process: helping people in debt to engage with the problem 25 
			 General Commissioners of Income Tax 4 
			 Judicial Appointments: the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary 34 
			 War-making powers and international treaties 26 
			 Freedom of Information Act 2000: Designation of additional public authorities 135 
			 Consumer Credit Appeals Tribunal 48 
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunal Rules 14 
			 NOMS Strategic Plan on Reducing Re-offending 76 
			 NOMS 3rd sector action plan 52 
			 NOMS: Believing We Can 76 
			 Transforming Tribunals 138 
			 Forced Marriage—Third Party Applicants 53 
			 Public law family fees 111 
			 MoJ Third Sector Strategy 49 
			 Improving the Criminal Trial Process for Young Witnesses (OCJR) 58 
			   
			  2008 consultations published up to Thursday 10 April 2008  
			 Administration Orders and Enforcement Restriction Orders—setting the parameters c46 
			 Forced Marriage Act—court procedure rules (6—) 
			 Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act: Eligibility for Judicial Appointment (7)— 
			 Enhancing procedural rights and judicial co-operation in the EU c7 
			 Rome I (8—) 
			 Best Value in Probation (9)— 
			   
			  Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) consultations published 1 January 2005—8 May 2007  
			  2005  
			 Victims' Code of Practice (OCJR) 101 
			 Restructuring Probation to Reduce Reoffending (NOMS) 748 
			 The Witness Charter: new standards of care for witnesses in the CJS (OCJR) 86 
			 Rebuilding Lives—supporting victims of crime (OCJR) 191 
			   
			  2006  
			 Convicting Rapists and Protecting Victims—Justice for Victims of Rape (OCJR) 94 
			 Quashing Convictions (OCJR) 33 
			 Making sentencing clearer (NOMS) 82 
			 (1) CPL) 01/05 Child Trust Fund Tax Appeals Regulations 2005 (The General Commissioners (Jurisdiction and Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2005)— copies of the consultation paper were sent to seven consultees initially. No comments were received about the detail of the Regulations, and no substantive changes were made to the regulations following the consultation exercise. (2) CP(L) 02/05 Special Commissioners Regulations 2005 (The Special Commissioners (Jurisdiction and Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2005)—copies of the consultation paper were sent to five consultees initially. No comments were received about the detail of the Regulations, and no substantive changes were made to the regulations following the consultation exercise; (3) CP(L) 03/05 Armed forces pensions appeals (The Social Security Commissioners (Procedure) (Amendment) Regulations 2005)—copies of the consultation paper were sent to fifteen consultees initially. Minor technical amendments were made to reflect comments from the Chief Social Security Commissioner for Great Britain and the Legal Adviser to the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. As these regulations were subject to the affirmative Parliamentary procedure, they were debated in Parliament following the consultation exercise. (4 )CP(L) 08/05 Pension Appeal Tribunal Rules 1980: Appeals to the Social Security Commissioners (The Pensions Appeal Tribunals (England and Wales) (Amendment) Rules 2005)—copies of the consultation paper were sent to thirteen consultees initially. Some amendments were made to reflect comments from the Pensions Appeal Tribunal and the Social Security Commissioners. (5 )Plus c200 responses from children and young people. (6) Ongoing consultation (ends 24/4). (7) Ongoing consultation (ends 29/4). (8 )Ongoing consultation (ends 25/6). (9) Ongoing consultation (ends 2/7)

Elections: Slough

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department plans to take in response to the recommendations of the Electoral Commissioner in the recent electoral court case in Slough.

Bridget Prentice: We have noted the findings and comments in the judgment of the election court. Since 2005, the Government have introduced a range of new measures to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system, and there have been very few proven incidents of fraud since the new measures were brought into force. They include:
	Electoral administrators write to everyone who has applied for a postal vote acknowledging receipt of their application and confirming the outcome—this will alert people to any applications for postal votes made falsely on their behalf.
	Postal vote applicants have to specify a reason if they want their postal vote to be sent to an address other than that at which they are registered.
	Administrators get more time to check postal vote applications because people have to apply for a postal vote a minimum of 11 working days before the close of poll (the previous minimum was six days).
	New requirement for electors to provide personal identifiers (signature and date of birth) if they wish to have a postal vote. The identifiers must be replicated by elector when they subsequently cast their postal vote, and will be cross-checked with the original samples to ensure the postal vote is valid.
	New offence of falsely applying for a postal or proxy vote.
	After every election a list of all those who voted by post is published which will enable individuals to check that their vote was counted. In an investigation the police will be able to check up with any individual whether they did actually vote by post or whether their vote was stolen.
	New criminal offence of supplying false information (or failing to supply information) to the electoral registration officer at any time.
	Strengthened offence of undue influence, which will make it easier to prosecute, even if the undue influence does not affect the way someone votes.
	Clear new powers for electoral administrators to cross check applications to register to vote against other information the council holds.
	We will take account of the election court's judgement in any further development on electoral registration and postal voting processes and legislation.

Legal Aid: Contracts

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of criminal law practitioners who will apply for a new criminal legal aid contract in 2008.

Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission is currently inviting applications for a new criminal legal aid contract due to take effect in July 2008. Applications are being returned at a steady rate but the final number will not be known until after the application period closes on 2 May 2008.
	The previous tender exercise for the January 2008 General Criminal Contract resulted in 2,295 applications from firms that already had a contract and a further 90 applications from new providers, ensuring full coverage for publicly-funded defence services in police stations and courts across England and Wales.

Magistrates Courts

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases where defendants have been charged and appeared before a magistrates court but no further hearing has been held there were in each magistrates court in the south-west region, broken down by constabulary in each of the last five years; and what percentage this represented of all cases in each area in each year.

Maria Eagle: The following tables show the annual number of completed charged criminal cases (adult and youth), and the estimated proportion disposed of at first hearing, for court groupings in the south-west region of HM Court Service for the years 2002 to 2006. Figures are not yet available for 2007.
	Figures are provided based on the location of the magistrates court, as data broken down by police force are not available. However, magistrates courts typically hear cases drawn from their local area.
	Figures for the number of cases disposed of at the first hearing are estimates taken from a quarterly survey of magistrates courts. These estimates are therefore subject to sample survey variability, with margins of error as shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of charged cases and estimated proportion disposed of in one hearing in the  south- west region  magistrates  courts, 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004 
			  Area( 1)  Number of cases( 2)  In one hearing( 3) (%)  Margin of error( 4) (+/- %)  Number of cases( 2)  In one hearing( 3)(%)  Margin of error( 4) (+/- %)  Number of cases( 2)  In one hearing( 3) (%)  Margin of error( 4) (+/- %) 
			  Avon and Somerset 
			 Bath and Wansdyke 2,409 30 8 2,561 34 8 2,011 39 8 
			 Bristol 6,649 25 5 7,456 28 4 6,667 33 5 
			 North Avon 2,327 24 10 2,559 24 9 2,364 37 9 
			 South Somerset 1,327 35 12 1,283 37 13 1,208 34 10 
			 Taunton Deane 1,077 28 8 2,764 39 8 2,321 34 7 
			 Woodspring 1,890 35 13 1,985 33 9 1,859 40 10 
			  Avon and Somerset—total 15,679 28 3 18,608 31 3 16,430 35 3 
			   
			  Devon and Cornwall 
			 Central Devon 4,023 60 7 3,913 53 8 3,316 49 7 
			 East Cornwall 2,124 41 9 2,370 45 8 1,962 45 9 
			 North Devon 1,725 46 10 1,591 54 10 1,434 39 11 
			 Plymouth District 3,845 31 7 3,690 35 7 3,601 36 7 
			 South Devon 3,643 35 8 3,707 48 7 3,378 49 8 
			 West Cornwall 2,117 34 9 2,159 39 8 2,079 40 9 
			 Total 17,477 41 3 17,430 45 3 15,770 43 3 
			   
			  Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 Gloucestershire 6,190 33 5 5,925 32 6 5,900 41 6 
			 North West Wiltshire 2,310 39 11 2,520 48 9 2,492 39 8 
			 Poole 6,959 43 5 6,553 41 5 6,438 44 4 
			 Salisbury 1,557 39 11 1,631 47 10 1,552 50 9 
			 Swindon 2,816 39 8 2,719 41 7 2,620 36 8 
			 Total 19,832 38 3 19,348 40 3 19,002 42 3 
			   
			  Hampshire and Isle of Wight 
			 Isle of Wight 1,773 45 11 2,038 42 9 1,796 35 10 
			 North East Hampshire 6,676 42 7 7,101 51 5 6,915 34 5 
			 South East Hampshire 9,583 39 5 9,068 36 4 9,592 35 4 
			 Southampton 7,948 37 5 7,843 40 5 7,601 35 4 
			 Total 25,980 39 3 26,050 41 2 25,904 35 2 
			   
			  South West Region  t otal 78,968 37 1 81,436 39 1 77,106 39 1 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006 
			  Area( 1)  Number of cases( 2)  In one hearing( 3) (%)  Margin of error( 4)  (+/- %)  Number of cases( 2)  In one hearing( 3)(%)  Margin of error( 4)  (+/- %) 
			  Avon and Somerset 
			 Bath and Wansdyke 2,138 40 8 1,915 34 7 
			 Bristol 6,609 31 5 6,219 29 4 
			 North Avon 2,612 39 8 2,342 26 9 
			 South Somerset 1,203 26 11 1,117 46 10 
			 Taunton Deane 2,518 34 7 2,192 31 7 
			 Woodspring 1,984 41 10 1,766 31 9 
			 Total 17,064 35 3 15,551 32 3 
			
			  Devon and Cornwall 
			 Central Devon 3,303 52 7 2,670 49 8 
			 East Cornwall 1,876 56 8 1,992 50 9 
			 North Devon 1,385 38 10 1,346 43 10 
			 Plymouth District 3,513 30 6 3,191 35 7 
			 South Devon 3,120 29 8 2,720 43 8 
			 West Cornwall 1,923 41 8 1,847 48 9 
			 Total 15,120 41 3 13,766 44 3 
			
			  Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 
			 Gloucestershire 6,338 34 5 6,427 42 5 
			 North West Wiltshire 2,345 40 11 2,274 42 8 
			 Poole 7,163 43 4 7,130 35 4 
			 Salisbury 1,619 52 9 1,466 39 12 
			 Swindon 2,539 42 8 2,217 42 8 
			 Total 20,004 41 3 19,514 39 3 
			
			  Hampshire and Isle of Wight 
			 Isle of Wight 2,100 48 12 1,823 43 9 
			 North East Hampshire 6,275 48 6 5,597 47 6 
			 South East Hampshire 8,281 31 4 7,018 40 5 
			 Southampton 7,547 38 4 7,406 39 4 
			 Total 24,203 38 3 21,844 41 3 
			
			 South West Region total 76,391 39 1 70,675 39 1 
			 (1) Local data are presented at clerkship level, clerkships being clusters of one or more courts grouped for administrative purposes. Area and region groupings are those used by Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS). (2) Number of cases arising from apprehensions (equivalent to charged cases) taken from MOJ Court Proceedings Database (CPD). (3) Estimated proportion based on one sample week of charged cases (summons are excluded from these figures) in March, June, September and December. The Time Intervals Survey (TIS) collects the number of hearings for completed criminal cases in magistrates1 courts. More information on TIS is available on the Ministry of Justice website. (4) The margin of error is a measure of the precision of a result based on a sample survey. Number of hearings in magistrates court cases are measured using data from a sample of the total number of defendants. The sample provides one estimate of the average number of hearings and different samples would produce different averages. The true value is likely to fall within the range of the sample result +/- the margin of error.  Source: Time Intervals Survey and Court Proceedings Database, MOJ

Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what payments the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission made to Weber Shandwick Public Affairs in each of the last five years; and on what date each payment was made.

David Hanson: The payments made by the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission to "Weber Shandwick Worldwide—Belfast" in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Date paid  £ 
			 31 May 2007 4,935.00 
			 31 July 2007 4,935.00 
			 31 July 2007 4,935.00 
			 14 August 2007 4,935.00 
			 18 September 2007 4,935.00 
			 16 October 2007 4,935.00 
			 12 November 2007 533.80 
			 14 January 2008 9,870.00 
			 31 January 2008 4,935.00 
			 Total 44,948.80

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to issue his response to the consultation "Voting rights of convicted prisoners detained within the United Kingdom—The UK Government's response to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of Hirst  v. The United Kingdom"; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are currently considering how to take forward the implementation of the Hirst judgment in light of the first stage consultation on this issue and will publish the responses in due course. We also remain committed to carrying out a second, more detailed public consultation on how voting rights might be granted to serving prisoners, and how far those rights should be extended. This is a sensitive and complex issue and we need to look very carefully at what the right approach should be.

Prisoners: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women born in Wales were serving custodial sentences at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) prison and  (b) length of sentence.

Maria Eagle: Information on prisoner's country of birth is not routinely collected and could be provided only by manual survey of prisoners in England and Wales.
	However as at 31 March 2008 there were 160 sentenced female prisoners with a home address in Wales (or committal court in Wales where no home address was listed).
	This figure is drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Drugs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government has taken to reduce substance misuse inside prisons in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has in place a comprehensive strategy to address the misuse of drugs by offenders serving custodial sentences. The strategy for prisons has three elements:
	reducing supply, through security measures and drug testing programmes;
	reducing demand, through targeted interventions for low, moderate and severe drug-misusers; and
	establishing effective through-care links to ensure continuity of treatment post-release in order to safeguard the gains made in custody.
	Prisons have in place a robust framework of supply reduction measures and these can be adapted flexibly to meet local need.
	As part of the drive against drugs announced at the end of January 2008, the Director General of the Prison Service has commissioned David Blakey, a former member of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the measures to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs into prisons.
	On 13 March 2008 we announced that universal testing for the opiate substitute buprenorphine was to commence in all prisons of England and Wales from 1 April 2008. Prisoners have also been warned of the dangers of the illicit use of buprenorphine.
	NOMS' comprehensive drug treatment framework, based on the National Treatment Agency's revised Models of Care, addresses the different needs of substance-misusers in prison. Interventions comprise:
	Clinical services, detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing;
	CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare service)—lower-level interventions that, following assessment, deliver treatment and support. CARATs take the lead Drug Intervention programme (DIP) role in prisons, engaging with prison resettlement teams and criminal justice integrated teams (CJITs) in the community;
	Drug Rehabilitation programmes.
	In 2007-08 £79.8 million was made available for drug treatment in prisons. £18.7 million of this was used to fund the implementation of the integrated drug treatment system (IDTS). This allowed the development of enhanced clinical services in 53 prisons, with 29 of these also developing enhanced psychosocial services.

Reoffenders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps the Government has taken in co-operation with the Prison Service to reduce reoffending.

David Hanson: Reducing re-offending is a key priority for the Government. We are delivering this through our cross-Government strategy to reduce re-offending, supported by the significant increase in investment since 1997.
	At the heart of our work to reduce re-offending, is the end to end case management of offenders which enables offenders to access the right services and interventions at the right time in their sentence and effectively re-integrate them back into the community. The Prison Service is engaging with a wide range of partners to tackle the accommodation, skills and employment, finance management and health disadvantages suffered by offenders. Interventions to tackle drug and alcohol problems are also being delivered in custody and the community.
	Latest performance figures show that adult re-offending has been reduced by 6.9 per cent. comparing 2004 to 1997 against a predicted rate. This exceeds the 5 per cent. target set in the 2000 Spending Review.

Young Offender Institutions

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of hours per day spent in purposeful activity was by each  (a) adult (i) male and (ii) adult female prisoner and (A) male and (B) female prisoner in a young offender institution in each week of March and April 2008.

Maria Eagle: Data are not yet available for April 2008, the following table shows the average number of hours of purposeful activity per day in prisons which predominately hold (a) adult male prisoners, (b) adult female prisoners and (c) male prisoners in young offender and juvenile institutions, for each week in February and March 2008. No young offender institutes are predominantly categorised as female. Therefore, the average number of hours for a female prisoner in a young offender institution cannot be provided.
	
		
			  Week commencing  Adult female  Adult male  YO and juvenile male 
			 3 February 2008 4.1 3.7 3.9 
			 10 February 2008 4.2 3.7 3.8 
			 17 February 2008 4.1 3.7 3.8 
			 24 February 2008 4.2 3.7 3.8 
			 2 March 2008 4.2 3.7 3.8 
			 9 March 2008 4.0 3.7 3.7 
			 16 March 2008 3.8 3.5 3.6 
			 23 March 2008 3.8 3.4 3.3 
			 30 March 2008 4.2 3.6 3.7

Young Offenders

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) boys and  (b) girls aged (i) 10, (ii) 11, (iii) 12, (iv) 13, (v) 14 and (vi) 15 years old were received into each local authority (A) secure home and (B) secure training centre (1) on remand and (2) under sentence in each year since 2000.

David Hanson: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) boys and  (b) girls aged (i) 15, (ii) 16 and (iii) 17 years were (A) received into prison service custody on remand and (B) under sentence in each year since 2000.

David Hanson: The information requested is in the table as follows.
	
		
			   Total  Males  Females 
			   Remand  Sentence  Remand  Sentence  Remand  Sentence 
			  2000   
			 Age 15 526 994 526 954 0 40 
			 Age 16 1,042 1,799 1,042 1,696 0 103 
			 Age 17 4,082 3,044 3,850 2,883 232 161 
			  2001   
			 Age 15 477 1,085 477 1,038 0 47 
			 Age 16 994 1,920 994 1,826 0 94 
			 Age 17 3,507 2,900 3,261 2,736 246 164 
			  2002   
			 Age 15 592 1,007 592 967 0 40 
			 Age 16 1,180 1,888 1,180 1,767 0 121 
			 Age 17 3,655 2,844 3,415 2,659 240 185 
			  2003   
			 Age 15 597 784 597 784 0 0 
			 Age 16 1,188 1,538 1,188 1,509 0 29 
			 Age 17 3,353 2,596 3,108 2,436 245 160 
			  2004   
			 Age 15 653 877 653 877 0 0 
			 Age 16 1,296 1,598 1,294 1,588 0 10 
			 Age 17 3,209 2,697 3,017 2,521 194 176 
			  2005   
			 Age 15 639 875 639 875 0 0 
			 Age 16 1,311 1,706 1,311 1,698 0 0 
			 Age 17 3,214 2,594 3,034 2,398 18 196 
			  2006   
			 Age 15 674 953 674 953 0 0 
			 Age 16 1,308 1,652 1,308 1,646 0 6 
			 Age 17 3,287 2,686 3,109 2,528 18 158 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children were moved from secure children's homes to young offender institutions in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	Information about such transfers is not collected centrally. The Youth Justice Board informs us that it providing the information requested would involve a manual search of records at establishments: this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders: Protection

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child protection referrals to local children's services involving children in custody were made from each  (a) prison,  (b) secure training centre and  (c) local authority secure children's home in the last two years.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the total number of referrals involving children in custody made to local children's services by each under-18 custodial establishment between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2008:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Young offender institutions  
			 Brinsford 52 
			 Castington 1 
			 Cookham Wood 52 
			 Downview 6 
			 Eastwood Park 0 
			 Feltham 11 
			 Foston Hall 1 
			 Hindley 0 
			 Huntercombe 22 
			 Lancaster Farms 14 
			 New Hall 7 
			 Stoke Heath 7 
			 Thorn Cross 39 
			 Warren Hill 42 
			 Werrington 51 
			 Wetherby 76 
			   
			  Secure training centres  
			 Hassockfield 69 
			 Medway 60 
			 Oakhill 125 
			 Rainsbrook 48 
			   
			  Secure children's homes  
			 Aldine House 4 
			 Atkinson Unit 0 
			 Aycliffe Young People's Centre 22 
			 Barton Moss Secure Unit 1 
			 Clayfieids House 2 
			 East Moor Secure Unit 4 
			 Hillside 20 
			 Kyloe House 2 
			 Lincolnshire Unit 9 
			 Orchard Lodge 21 
			 Red Bank Community Home 12 
			 Sutton Place Safe Centre 3 
			 Swanwick Lodge 1 
			 Vinney Green 8 
			  Note:  Figures provided by the YJB and HMPS have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HIV/AIDS

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to improve education on HIV/AIDS in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: Prevention is absolutely crucial if we are to stop and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS. Education is central to the Department for International Development's (DFID's) approach, particularly girls' education and improved sexual and reproductive health education for women. We support innovative AIDS education programmes, including a recent £14 million grant to the Soul City programme, a televised soap opera watched by more than 34 million South Africans, now extending to eight countries in southern Africa.

Primary Education

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of children in developing countries attending primary school.

Gillian Merron: Since 1999 there are 41 million more children in schools. The UK Government have committed £8.5 billion for education in developing countries over the 10 years to 2015. This will provide support to national government education plans to achieve the millennium development goal of universal primary education by 2015.

Palestinian Territories

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Territories.

Shahid Malik: The humanitarian situation is grave. The UK channels its humanitarian assistance through international agencies including UNRWA and the EC. Our support is still reaching those who need it. Assistance from the EC's Temporary International Mechanism has paid the allowances of 77,000 Palestinian Authority workers critical to the delivery of basic services. Movement and access restrictions triggered by ongoing violence undermine the effectiveness of humanitarian operations. Recent fuel strikes further threaten the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts.

Food Prices

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of increases in world food prices on developing countries.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) today.

Food Prices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of high food prices on the poorest countries; and what response his Department is making.

Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) today (UIN 202410).

Nepal

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to Nepal.

Shahid Malik: In the current financial year (2008-09) the Department for International Development (DFID) plan to provide £42 million of bilateral development assistance to Nepal. We aim to scale this up to £56 million over the comprehensive spending review period.

Zimbabwe

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he next expects to meet his EU counterparts to discuss aid to Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: No formal discussions on EU aid to Zimbabwe are planned for the immediate future. The UK Government are in constant dialogue with our EU counterparts and other international partners about the current crisis. Under the right conditions, we are ready to play a leading role in supporting Zimbabwe's recovery. In the meantime, we continue to work with the United Nations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in saving the lives and livelihoods of Zimbabwe's poorest and most vulnerable people.

Tibet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to the Tibetan population in occupied Tibet.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not plan to provide humanitarian assistance in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Together with our colleagues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are keeping the situation under review, but there does not at this time, appear to be any reason for us to provide such assistance. We continue to provide £500,000 per year to support Save the Children's work in Tibet. This is continuing to run smoothly despite the recent unrest. The work is not considered politically sensitive either by the Chinese authorities or by the Tibetan population, and is welcomed by both.

China: Overseas Aid

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether account is taken of the human rights implications of the Chinese one-child policy in his Department's decisions on aid to China; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: Human rights are one of several factors that are taken into account when deciding aid allocations. China has made good progress in recent years in improving reproductive health rights, especially through its implementation of the 2002 Law of Population and Family Planning. This law establishes equal rights for women and men in accordance with the principles of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Sex-selective abortions are strictly prohibited. Under the Regulations for the Management of Family Planning Technical Services of 2001, the use of physical coercion to compel persons to submit to abortion or sterilization is prohibited.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not support China's one child policy. The UK Government's policy on population and sexual and reproductive health in the developing world is about providing choice, not coercion. We do not provide direct funding to population activities in China. We do however provide central funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), as well as other organisations in the sexual and reproductive health field that seek to promote informed choice and better services. Neither UNFPA nor IPPF support the one-child policy, but are working hard to uphold reproductive health rights and promote change in China.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not currently offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. Our intention is to introduce a scheme through the course of 2008 in line with changes planned as part of our Human Resources Transformation Programme.
	At present DFID staff can apply for an interest free loan to cover the cost of purchasing a bicycle and any necessary security and safety equipment up to the value to £500. The loan is repayable over a maximum period of 12 months.
	The one DFID Executive non-departmental public body does not employ any staff.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: It is not appropriate to disclose values for staff, other than those whose details are reported in the remuneration report in the Department's resource accounts. A copy of the resource accounts for the year ending 2006-07 can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have any Executive agencies.

Departmental Working Hours

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many hours  (a) in total and  (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which records are available.

Gillian Merron: Based on the contracted hours (minus leave entitlements) of home civil service staff working in our HQ offices (in London and East Kilbride) and overseas, the total hours worked from 1 January-31 December 2007, was 2,652,062.60.
	This equates to an average of 1,550.90 hours per employee, based on our headcount staff numbers of 1,710.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development is committed to responding to written parliamentary questions promptly. Since the start of the 2007-08 Session to date:
	(a) 78 per cent. of 677 ordinary written questions have been answered within five sitting days
	(b) 84 per cent. of the 137 named day questions have been answered on the day specified.
	Information to the level of detail requested could be provided only disproportionate cost.

Disabled

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what targets his Department has set in relation to its employment of people with disabilities over the next five years.

Gillian Merron: The Cabinet Office is currently drawing up a new Diversity Strategy from 2008 to 2011 that will build on the achievements and lessons learnt from the existing Government-wide "10 Point Plan for a Diverse Civil Service". The Department for International Development (DFID) will draw on this strategy for its own targets for employing people with disabilities in grades below the senior civil service (SCS) from 2008 to 2011.

Guatemala: Overseas Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on international development issues in relation to her recent visit to Guatemala.

Douglas Alexander: Discussions about the visit by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to Guatemala between 16 and 19 of April have taken place between officials in the Department for International Development (DFID) and the FCO. The visit enabled my hon. Friend to see how projects funded by the Global Conflict Prevention Pool are contributing to conflict prevention along the Belize-Guatemala border. Specifically, she was able to visit the office of the Organisation of American States, which is monitoring the disputed border area, and contributing to the resolution of local problems in the area.

Overseas Aid: Politics and Government

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on projects promoting democracy in developing countries in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides funding to promote democracy through civil society, the justice sector, elections, Parliaments, as well as related activities to improve the accountability of Government officials to citizens more generally. DFID does not measure expenditure on democracy projects specifically.
	Most, but not all, of the expenditure on democracy comes under the category of 'governance'. Last year we published a report detailing DFID's work on governance titled "Governance, Development and Democratic Politics".
	As follows is a table showing expenditure on governance for the last five years.
	
		
			  DFID bilateral expenditure, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  £ million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Overall governance spending 184.3 250.8 256.6 341.9 322.6 
			  Of which:  
			 Elections 4.3 13.1 13.6 16.7 13.8 
			  Of which:  
			 Public Reform and Good Governance 27.9 81.9 80.4 101.8 99.1 
			   
			 Strengthening Civil Society 86.3 96.0 105.1 123.1 143.6

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Construction

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many construction projects his Department undertook in each of the last three years for which the capital cost was greater than £1.5 million; and what the combined value of these projects was.

Jim Knight: The Department does not undertake construction projects directly itself. Rather it allocates capital funding to a variety of bodies, usually local authorities, who procure and manage the projects. The capital allocations by programme for this Department for the last three years are included in the Departmental Annual Report (DAR) Table 8.2 and Annex C refers.
	
		
			  Academy projects started/undertaken in each of the last three years: 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 10 
			 2006-07 23 
			 2007-08 3 
		
	
	The estimated capital cost of each of these projects exceeds £1.5 million.
	The combined value of these projects (i.e. the total estimated capital costs including sponsorship) is £809.5 million.
	The number of 16-19 capital projects approved over the past two years with a project cost of more than £1.5 million:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Number of projects  Total  c ost 
			 2006-07 22 100.3 
			 2007-08 35 169.4 
		
	
	Two separate sources of funding (from Schools and Further Education) were brought together to create the 16-19 capital fund from 2006-07.

Construction

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many construction projects his Department undertook in each of the last three years for which the capital cost was less than £1.5 million; and what the combined value of these projects was.

Jim Knight: The Department does not undertake construction projects directly itself. Rather it allocates capital funding to a variety of bodies, usually local authorities, who procure and manage the projects. The capital allocations by programme for this Department for the last three years are included in the Departmental Annual Report (DAR) Table 8.2 and Annex C refers.
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department does not offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. However, my Department does offer interest-free, advance of salary loan to purchase a bicycle for those employees who want them. The Department does encourage staff to use sustainable forms of travel wherever possible including cycling to work as well as using public transport.
	Non-departmental public bodies are responsible for their own policies.

Departmental Consultation Papers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) white papers,  (b) bills,  (c) green papers and  (d) other consultation papers have been issued by his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessors (Department for Education and Employment, and Department for Education and Skills) have issued the following since 1997:
	 (a) 64 Green and White Papers (our records do not distinguish between the two categories of paper);
	 (b ) 16 Bills;
	 (c) See  (a) above;
	 (d) 364 consultation papers and a further nine calls for evidence.

Departmental Data Protection

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 105W, on departmental data protection, if he will include information assurance data on data loss incidents in previous years in his Department's next annual report.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179, and the written ministerial statement made my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data.
	The interim report of 17 December 2007 committed to put in place a programme to examine and improve data handling procedures. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected in spring 2008, and this report will detail the information to be included by Departments on data loss in their annual reports.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1532W, on departmental ICT, how many of the missing or stolen  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistants have been replaced by his Department; and at what cost.

Kevin Brennan: The information as requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). To respond fully would involve an information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold.
	DCSF does not keep central records of whether staff were immediately issued with a replacement mobile telephone, personal digital assistant or laptop computer following theft or loss.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) of the pensions of the 10 highest paid departmental employees at 31 March 2008 was £4,492,806.10. This includes the CETV of some of the members of the senior management team named in the Department's Remuneration Report, which is published annually and which is in the public domain.
	The Department has no executive agencies.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time posts were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in his Department in each year since its establishment.

Kevin Brennan: Since the formation of my Department as part of the 28 June 2007 Machinery of Government changes, 131 posts have been filled by staff on temporary promotion for a period in excess of six months. Additionally there were 17 temporary staff employed for a period in excess of six months. These are the latest figures available and apply up to 31 March 2008. At that date my Department had 2,793 staff (2,643.4 full-time equivalents).

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 912W, on departmental translation services, how much was spent on translation services into  (a) Welsh and  (b) other languages in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08 to date.

Kevin Brennan: The details of expenditure on translation services incurred by the Department provided in the answer of 17 March 2008 was extracted from the Departments Integrated Financial Information System and is recorded under a general heading of Translation Fees. To extract the specific financial data requested would involve disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

Kevin Brennan: The Department's IT systems are currently unable to provide the full breakdown requested. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 Session and up to 31 March 2008 the Department has received a total of 2,674 PQs, 416 named day and 2,258 ordinary written PQs. The manual check of all named day PQs carried out to monitor the timeliness of replies for the months of November 2007 to March 2008 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Total named day PQs received  Total named day PQs answered on time (percentage) 
			 November 2007 105 30 
			 December 2007 58 38 
			 January 2008 104 28 
			 February 2008 89 42 
			 March 2008 60 75

Education: Young Offenders

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to ensure that all 16 and 17 year olds in  (a) prison and  (b) on community service are in accredited education and training; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The availability of good quality and consistent education and training for young offenders in prison and in the community is critical to improving life outcomes and reducing re-offending rates. We outlined our plans to improve education and training for young offenders within the Children's Plan, published December last year. We are currently consulting on proposals for new funding and planning arrangements for pre and post-19 learning which includes plans for local authorities to lead on education and training for young people in juvenile custody. We will also include wider proposals to improve education and training for young offenders within the strategy on Youth Crime which we will be publishing later this year. This will include plans linking offender education more strongly with the 14 to 19 curriculum, quality improvement and work force development in order to ensure that young offenders have access to provision and qualifications which are consistent with mainstream education and training and which meets their personal needs.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children at Key Stage 4 secured at least five A* to C GCSEs, including mathematics, English, a science and a modern language in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information required is given as follows.
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C including English, mathematics, science and a MFL 
			 1995/96 27.2 
			 1996/97 27.3 
			 1997/98 28.9 
			 1998/99 27.7 
			 1999/2000 28.5 
			 2000/01 29.5 
			 2001/02 29.4 
			 2002/03 28.8 
			 2003/04 28.2 
			 2004/05 28.4 
			 2005/06 25.9 
			 2006/07 24.1 
			  Note:  Figures up to and including 2003/04 are based on 15-year-old pupils (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August). Figures from 2004/05 onwards are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4.

Gifted Children

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many local authorities are not taking part in the gifted and talented programme.

Jim Knight: All local authorities in England are participating in the gifted and talented education programme.

Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department provides health or social care services out of public funds, with reference to the Statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health, in the Health and Social Care Bill Committee, of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 327.

Kevin Brennan: The Department does not provide health and social care services out of public funds.

Higher Civil Servants

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of his Department's and its predecessors' senior civil service staff worked part-time in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: In December 2007 my Department had a total of 106 staff in the senior civil service, of which six (5.7 per cent.) are recorded as working part-time.
	Although not directly comparable, due to the 28 June 2007 Machinery of Government changes, the corresponding figure in the predecessor Department, the Department for Education and Skills, was 10 (7.63 per cent.) staff working part-time out of a total of 131 in the senior civil service, at December 2006. Figures for earlier years for the Department for Education and Skills can be found in the Civil Service Statistics Archive:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index.asp

Pre-School Education: Standards

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of childcare staff in nurseries had an Early Years Foundation Degree in  (a) Basingstoke constituency,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. The qualifications are grouped together in the levels that they have been accredited with by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. It is not possible to look at specific qualifications held.
	The Early Years Foundation Degree is a level 5 qualification. The percentage of paid staff in England holding at least a level 5 qualification is as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of paid staff holding at least a Level 5 qualification: 2006 
			   Percentage 
			 Full day care 4 
			 Full day care in children's centres 13 
			 Sessional 5 
			 After school clubs 6 
			 Holiday clubs 9 
			 Childminders 4 
			 Nursery schools 33 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 40 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 48 
		
	
	Within those figures, those staff with any level 5 qualification relevant to working with children and young people is shown in Table 2:
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of paid staff holding a Level 5 qualification: 2006 
			   Percentage 
			 Full day care 1 
			 Full day care in children's centres 3 
			 Sessional 1 
			 After school clubs 1 
			 Holiday clubs 1 
			 Childminders 0 
			 Nursery schools 3 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 2 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 3 
		
	
	Comparable data are not available for previous years due to changes in the way that the qualification levels were defined.
	Data are not available at a local authority level.

Public Information Booklets

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1534W, on public information booklets, who is responsible for  (a) authorising and  (b) auditing expenditure on the production of information for the public; and what information is held centrally on such costs.

Kevin Brennan: Authorisation for expenditure on the production of information for the public is delegated by the Head of Department to individual policy teams, rather than to a central board dealing with a particular communications channel. This expenditure would be included within the annual audit of DCSF departmental resource accounts by the National Audit Office.
	Although we do not centrally co-ordinate records for the production of public information booklets, we do maintain central records relating to the Department's overall publications distribution contract.

Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools excluded more than  (a) 10 per cent. and  (b) 30 per cent. of their pupils in the latest year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The number of schools excluding more than 10 and more than 30 per cent. of their pupils is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pupil Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in secondary schools were given a  (a) fixed period and  (b) permanent exclusion in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority index of multiple deprivation decile.

Kevin Brennan: The available information has been placed in the House Library.

Pupil Referral Units: Sports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupil referral units offer two hours of physical exercise every week.

Kevin Brennan: The 2006/07 PE and School Sport Survey found that 91 per cent. of Pupil Referral Units provided at least two hours high quality PE and school sport a week for at least one of its pupils. Overall, 84 per cent. of all pupils in PRUs participated in at least two hours high quality PE and sport a week.

School Meals: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what he expects the minimum spend on ingredients for school meals to be per pupil per day; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the minimum spend on ingredients for school meals per pupil per day was in each year since the minimum spend was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: There is no minimum spend on ingredients requirement for school meals. Food prices vary by region leading to different purchasing power. It is, therefore, for local authorities or, where the budget for school meals is delegated to them, school governing bodies to decide what monies they assign to school lunches. However, the School Food Trust's 2007 annual survey reported an average spend on ingredients of 57p per meal in primary schools.
	The Government are taking forward a number of steps to improve school food and help to keep down the price of school meals. We are investing over £650 million between 2005 to 2011 to help raise nutritional standards and keep school lunch prices down. This includes funding to help build kitchens in areas with no kitchen facilities; to better support the development of training centres for the school food workforce; and to improve overall take-up.

Schools: Drinking Water

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of schools which freely provided fresh drinking water for pupils at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will provide grants for schools in England so that modern water coolers can be made available for pupils.

Jim Knight: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of schools which freely provide fresh drinking water for pupils and has no plans to provide grants to schools in England so that modern water coolers can be made available to pupils.
	The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 require schools to have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes including a supply of drinking water. The responsibility for ensuring compliance with the School Premises regulations rests with local authorities.
	The Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007 require schools to ensure that drinking water is provided free of charge at all times to registered pupils on school premises.
	Schools wishing to attain Healthy Schools status must offer easy access to free, clean and palatable drinking water.

Schools: Sustainable Development

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he has taken towards establishing a carbon test for new schools as a supplement to the BRE Environmental Assessment Method rating.

Jim Knight: The Children's Plan sets out our ambition for newly built schools to be zero carbon by 2016 and contains our current requirement for all newly built schools to reduce carbon emissions by at least 60 per cent. We are in the process of establishing a task force to determine; how to achieve zero carbon schools; whether the timescale is realistic; and how to reduce carbon emissions in the intervening period.
	With regard to the current requirement to reduce emissions from new school buildings by 60 per cent. the Department has developed a simple piece of software—the 'carbon calculator'—which estimates the carbon savings and capital costs for a range of low carbon technologies. This allows users to test combinations of potential features for each school's design. The carbon calculator, and guidance on its use, can be downloaded from the Teachernet web-site(1). Our guidance on how to use the calculator also contains information on a wide range of low carbon technologies. This refers users to other more detailed sources of information on each of these technologies, such as publications or specialist organisations that can provide further technical or financial support.
	Our specific measures to address carbon emissions are additional to our requirement for all major school building projects; register for a BREEAM Schools assessment; and aim to achieve a minimum rating of 'very good'.
	(1) www.teachernet.gov.uk/carbontargets

Secondary Education: Absenteeism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which secondary schools had an unauthorised absence rate of over  (a) 10 and  (b) 20 per cent. at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Information on unauthorised absence rate for individual schools are published as part of the Achievement and Attainment Tables which can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/schools_07.shtml

Teachers: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in developing a new master's-level teaching qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Plans for the introduction of a Masters-level qualification in teaching and learning for teachers were set out in "Being the best for our children: Releasing talent for teaching and learning" on 7 March. We propose to begin by targeting the Masters mainly on teachers in the first five years of their careers, building on initial teacher training and induction. The Training and Development Agency for Schools has started to develop the programme, working with social partners: they will commence consultation with schools and higher education institutions on the content of the new qualification in the near future.

Trust Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many trust schools, established or converted under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 there were on 1 September 2007, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: As of 1 September 2007, there were 23 trust schools established under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. These are broken down as follows by local authority:
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of schools 
			 Bedfordshire 7 
			 Devon 1 
			 Dudley 2 
			 Durham 1 
			 Leeds 5 
			 Northumberland 5 
			 Plymouth 1 
			 Southend on Sea 1 
			 Total 23 
		
	
	Since last September, the number of trust schools has risen to 55, with a further 386 in the pipeline.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently sourcing a supplier to offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees. This scheme will support employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling the Department to loan a cycle to an employee, for up to 18 months and is expected to be available by September 2008.
	The Department also offers an advance of salary to encourage green commuting. This allows employees to take an advance of their salary of up to £1,000 for the purchase of a cycle or an amount to cover the full cost of an annual public transport season ticket. The amount has to be repaid over the following 12 months and is free of interest. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.
	The Independent Living Fund, which is a non-departmental public body sponsored by DWP, offers staff who wish to purchase a bicycle for the purpose of travelling to work the opportunity to request an advance of salary, which will be recovered in equal payments over a 12 month period.

Departmental Equality

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made towards the equality targets set out in its annual report 2007, page 79.

Anne McGuire: The information is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Ethnic minority representation by grade (March 2008) 
			  Percentage 
			  Grade  March 2006  June 2006  March 2007  March 2008  Target March 2008 
			 Senior civil service 3.4 3.9 3.4 4.5 5.0 
			 Grades 6 and 7/Bands G and F 2.87 2.9 3.7 3.9 4.0 
			 SEO/Band E 3.7 3.6 4.0 3.7 4.0 
			 HEO/Band D 5.0 5.1 5.6 6.1 5.5 
			 EO/Band C 9.1 9.2 9.2 10.0 (1)— 
			 AO/Band B 10.8 11.0 11.0 11.6 (1)— 
			 AA/Band A 10.5 11.0 11.0 10.5 (1)— 
			 (1) None.  Note: Staff without declared ethnicity excluded 
		
	
	
		
			  Disability: staff in post (March 2008) 
			  Percentage 
			  Grade  March 2006  June 2006  March 2007  March 2008  Target March 2008 
			 Senior civil service 3.3 2.7 2.4 2.8 6.0 
			 Grades 6, 7 and SEO/Bands G, F and E 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 
			 HEO and EO/Bands D and C 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.4 7.0 
			 AO and AA/Bands B and A 4.6 4.5 4.7 4.9 6.0 
			 All 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.5 (1)— 
			 (1) None.  Note: Staff without declared disability status excluded 
		
	
	
		
			  Gender: Women in post (March 2008) 
			  Percentage 
			  Grade  March 2006  June 2006  March 2007  March 2008  Target March 2008 
			 Senior civil service pay band 2 and above 24.5 19.7 22.7 21.4 30 
			 All senior civil service 33.5 32.7 35.3 35.3 39 
			 Grade 6/Band G 39.6 41.4 41.3 42.6 45 
			 Grade 7/Band F 44.6 44.0 43.6 44.7 45 
			 SEO/Band E 51.6 52.0 52.8 53.4 (1)— 
			 HEO/Band D 24.5 19.7 22.7 21.4 30 
			 EO/Band C 33.5 32.7 35.3 35.3 39 
			 AO/Band B 39.6 41.4 41.3 42.6 45 
			 AA/Band A 44.6 44.0 43.6 44.7 45 
			 All 51.6 52.0 52.8 53.4 (1)— 
			 (1) None.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his Departmental website.

Anne McGuire: The most recent redesign of the DWP departmental website www.dwp.gov.uk took place in 2004-05 and cost £101,467.
	The work was conducted by the Department's in-house e-communications team and an external supplier.
	The external supplier supplier's costs are included in the response; however it has not been possible to quantify the internal costs.

Departmental Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number and proportion of his Department's workforce that will be employed in each region in 2009.

Anne McGuire: An estimate of the numbers and proportion of the Department for Work and Pensions workforce that will be employed in each region in 2009 is not available at present.
	The Department's three year plan provides an indicative range of headcount reductions for the current Spending Review period and detailed business and regional plans for the period ending 31 March 2009 are currently being developed.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwD/2008/3yrplan/

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based.

Anne McGuire: This information is held within the principal civil service pensions scheme resource accounts which can be accessed on the civil service pensions website:
	www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91.

Anne McGuire: Information of liabilities in present value terms are held in the principal civil services pension scheme resource accounts (since 2000-01) which can be accessed on the civil service pensions website:
	www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk
	However, these are produced under differing sets of assumptions (e.g. on longevity), so are not comparable across years.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) rate and  (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: This information is contained in the Principal Civil Service Pensions scheme resource accounts (since 2000-01) and can be accessed on the civil service pensions website;
	www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Employment: Disabled

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the employment rate of  (a) all people and  (b) disabled people was in each of the last five years; and what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's public service agreement target 8.

Anne McGuire: The employment rate for disabled people and for all people in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Disabled employment Rate  GB employment Rate  Gap 
			  Period from April-June
			 2003 45.4 74.7 29.3 
			 2004 46.7 74.7 27.9 
			 2005 47.0 74.7 27.7 
			 2006 47.5 74.4 27.0 
			 2007 47.2 74.3 27.1 
			  Source:  Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	Information relating to what progress has been made towards meeting this target (and others) is available in the departmental Autumn Performance Report 2007. This is available in the Library and can also be viewed at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2007/autumnreport/full-report07.pdf

Employment: Disabled

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to move people with disabilities from benefits to employment.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 23 April 2008
	This Department delivers a range of programmes aimed at helping disabled people remove the barriers that prevent them moving into paid work. During 2006-07, new deal for disabled people enabled over 45,000 people to move from an incapacity benefit to paid work. As of May 2007, 2.64 million people were receiving incapacity benefits, the lowest number for almost eight years. The caseload has dropped by nearly 140,000 since a peak in November 2003.
	From October 2008, we are replacing incapacity benefits for new customers with the employment and support allowance. The new benefit, alongside a more robust medical assessment, will focus on what work a person can do, rather than what they cannot. We are also investing over £1 billion in our Pathways to Work programme in the next three years and from April 2008 everyone on incapacity benefits in Great Britain will have access to this programme.
	The employment disadvantage experienced by disabled people has declined substantially over time. The difference between the employment rate for disabled people and the overall rate has narrowed from around 35 percentage points in spring 1998 to around 27 percentage points today. However, we know that disabled people are still disadvantaged in the labour market compared with other people. This is why we have significantly improved and extended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to provide greater protection for disabled people from discrimination in the fields of employment and occupation.
	We recently undertook a public consultation on proposals to improve the specialist disability employment services, which includes WORKSTEP, Work Preparation, Access to Work, the Job Introduction Scheme and the Disability Employment Advisory service. These programmes collectively help substantial numbers of disabled people take up or retain paid work rather than resort to benefits.

Health Hazards: Domestic Wastes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the  (a) Health and Safety Executive and  (b) Health and Safety Laboratory has made of the risks to refuse handlers of exposure to microbiological hazards from domestic rubbish; and what assessment he has made of the ways in which such risks may be affected by changes in the frequency of collection.

Anne McGuire: Neither the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) nor the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) have made an assessment of the microbiological risks that refuse handlers may be exposed to. Health and safety legislation places a duty on employers (including local authorities and waste management companies) to carry out their own assessment of risk from hazards and ensure that the risks to the health and safety of workers and others are controlled so far as is reasonably practicable.
	The HSL (in a project jointly commissioned by HSE, DEFRA, Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government) have produced information on the hazards associated with refuse collection that can be used by duty holders to help them make their own assessment of risks.
	Separate research commissioned by DEFRA found no evidence of additional health risks from fortnightly collections compared with weekly collections.

Incapacity Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants received the benefit for  (a) back pain and  (b) repetitive strain injuries in each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The diagnosed condition does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. Entitlement is dependent upon the medical assessment of incapacity for work, the personal capability assessment, which assesses how a person's condition affects their mental or physical functions.
	Information is not available prior to 1995. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants with a primary diagnosis of back pain or repetitive strain injury 
			   Back pain  Repetitive strain injury 
			  As at May each year  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1995 321,100 11.3 100 0.0 
			 1996 339,400 11.9 700 0.0 
			 1997 347,300 12.2 700 0.0 
			 1998 342,100 12.3 700 0.0 
			 1999 336,900 12.3 800 0.0 
			 2000 334,770 12.3 930 0.0 
			 2001 339,950 12.2 1,000 0.0 
			 2002 335,670 12.0 970 0.0 
			 2003 330,030 11.7 950 0.0 
			 2004 321,700 11.4 910 0.0 
			 2005 309,900 11.1 870 0.0 
			 2006 296,270 10.9 800 0.0 
			 2007 282,970 10.5 760 0.0 
			  Notes: 1. May 1995 to May 1999 (inclusive) numbers have been based on five per cent. sample figures uprated to 100 per cent WPLS totals. 2. May 2000 to May 2007 (inclusive) numbers are based on 100 per cent. WPLS figures. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. May 1995 to May 1999 (inclusive) numbers are based on a five per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only. 5. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 6. Proportions are rounded to one decimal place.  Source: DWP Information Directorate five per cent sample and 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Local Authorities: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether  (a) town and  (b) parish councils are considered public bodies for the purposes of disability discrimination legislation.

Anne McGuire: Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 places a statutory duty on every public authority, when carrying out its functions, to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Town and parish councils as part of our system of local government are public authorities for this purpose of this section.
	Similarly, town and parish councils are also considered to be public authorities for the purposes of Sections 21B, 21D and 21E of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which make it unlawful for public authorities, in the carrying out of their functions, to discriminate against disabled people for a reason related to their disability and place a duty on them to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

Maternity Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number of women who will receive maternity allowance in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying maternity allowance in each year until 2011.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Department for Work and Pensions forecast of maternity allowance new claim commencements 
			   Number 
			 2008-09 64,000 
			 2009-10 68,000 
			 2010-11 71,000 
			  Note: Figures rounded to nearest thousand.  Source: Budget 2008 Maternity Allowance Model 
		
	
	
		
			  Department for Work and Pensions forecast of annual maternity allowance expenditure 
			   nominal terms, £ million 
			 2008-09 365 
			 2009-10 392 
			 2010-11 416 
			  Source: Budget 2008 Maternity Allowance Model

Members: Correspondence

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question 173276, on customer call centres, tabled on 6 December 2007 by the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne.

Anne McGuire: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 5 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 2606-16W.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 728-9W, on social security benefits: EU nationals, when he expects to be able to provide the information requested.

Anne McGuire: We are still involved in discussions with the European Commission to clarify the extent of the Government's responsibilities. Until the full implications of the judgment are known, we cannot estimate the additional costs, staffing requirements or the number of additional customers.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer Question 177307, tabled on 7 January for answer on 10 January, on the recording of individuals' political opinions.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 27 February 2008
	 I replied to the hon. Member's question on 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 836W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China: Family Planning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of China on the implementation of the one-child policy in Tibet; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed implementation of China's one child policy specifically in relation to Tibet. However, we do raise our concerns about abuses of the one child policy involving sterilisation and abortions. We did this most recently at the latest round of the UK-China human rights dialogue, which was held in Beijing on 28-31 January. We do not dispute China's right or need to implement family planning policies but we do believe they should be based on the principles of consent and not coercion. We will continue to encourage the Chinese to meet international human rights standards at every appropriate opportunity, both bilaterally and through the EU.

China: Politics and Government

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage the development of democratic government in China.

Meg Munn: We continue to encourage China's leaders to make the transition to more representative and accountable governance. We welcome the greater democracy at village level in China and encourage China to look positively for ways to extend this sooner rather than later. The UK will continue to support and help shape moves toward greater institutional transparency, access to and respect for the rule of law, and increased participatory governance. We firmly believe democratic reform in China must go hand in hand with economic reform.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not currently offer a cycle to work scheme to its employees.
	Nor does the FCO offer any other tax free benefits in kind to encourage green commuting. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government Departments as to any other employee.

Departmental Energy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to reduce its energy consumption in the last 12 months; and what his Department's expenditure on energy was in  (a) the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and  (b) the immediately preceding 12 months.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is working to reduce its energy consumption in line with the new Government targets on sustainable operations on the Government estate announced in June 2006. In the last 12 months, the FCO has:
	started to replace its global Information Technology infrastructure with a new system that makes full use of advanced power saving settings and the latest methods for distribution of software updates. Computer base units will no longer need to be fully powered at all times and fewer, and more efficient, printers are being installed;
	incorporated energy saving measures into the new Information and Communication Technology building at the Hanslope Park site, including solar panels; solar shading on facades to reduce heat gain; high efficiency ammonia refrigeration for the air-conditioning; heat recovery from servers;
	continued to work towards improving the energy efficiency of light fittings in the FCO's Main building and Old Admiralty building;
	begun to replace hand dryers with a more energy efficient model;
	run campaigns to encourage staff to follow good practice in using energy efficiently and effectively;
	extended environmental management practices to 20 overseas posts and is preparing to roll these out to a further 50 posts in the next month;
	agreed and started to implement a framework specifically designed for the FCO, based on the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method into new office and residence builds overseas; and
	opened new office buildings in Doha and Geneva that incorporate energy efficient measures.
	The FCO's expenditure on energy since 2006, including value added tax where applicable, totalled:
	
		
			   UK estate  Overseas estate  Total 
			 2006-07 3,477,450 14,503,743 17,981,193 
			 2007-08 3,104,657 14,726,851 17,831,508 
		
	
	Expenditure on the overseas estate for 2007-08 is provisional.
	This represents an overall decrease of £149,685, a reduction in expenditure of 11 per cent. in the UK and just over 1 per cent. overall.

Departmental Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) surveys,  (b) questionnaires and  (c) other services were provided by polling companies for his Department in financial year 2007-08, broken down by company.

Meg Munn: This information is not held centrally. Foreign and Commonwealth Office departments and overseas posts hold their own budgets for public consultations, surveys or questionnaires. A more detailed answer would require a survey of all of our Embassies, High Commissions and subordinate posts, which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

Meg Munn: Most written parliamentary questions tabled by hon. Members to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs have been answered within five parliamentary sitting days, as shown by the data provided in the table:
	
		
			   November 2007 to date (22 April 2008) 
			 Number of written parliamentary questions for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2,005 
			 Number answered within five parliamentary sitting days 1,519 
			 Percentage answered within five parliamentary sitting days 76

Falun Gong

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of China on the arrests and treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in Guandong province.

Meg Munn: We remain concerned by reports of the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents in various provinces of China, particularly those detained in Re-education Through Labour (RTL) camps. We raise our concerns over individual practitioners, and for the need to reform RTL, with the Chinese government at every appropriate opportunity. We did this most recently at the 16(th) round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing on 28-31 January.

Forced Marriage

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department's Forced Marriage Unit has prevented a British national being forced into marriage overseas in the last 12 months; what work his Department has undertaken with foreign governments on the matter, in particular to provide support for hard to reach victims; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: In 2007 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided overseas consular assistance in 168 cases of suspected forced marriage. The exact nature of this assistance varied on a case-by-case basis. We could not have done this without the support of central Governments and local authorities in the countries concerned, particularly in South Asia. We have worked in partnership at a national, regional and local level to raise awareness of the issue and to build practical co-operation to facilitate our assistance work.

Sudan: Overseas Investment

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department provides for firms and financial institutions seeking guidance on the risks of investing in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	UK Trade and Investment provides UK companies with information and guidance on doing business and investing in Sudan via the website at www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk. The UKTI team in the British embassy in Khartoum is able to provide advice and specific guidance on request.
	There is currently an EU arms embargo on Sudan. Otherwise normal export control regulations apply to UK companies. The USA has imposed sanctions on Sudan, including a trade embargo, and UK companies need to be aware of this if exported goods or parts of goods are of US origin. Exemptions to US sanctions were made last year for specified regions of Sudan. The UN has imposed sanctions on a small number of Sudanese individuals (travel bans and freezing of assets).

Vietnam: BBC External Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Head of BBC World Service on the effects of the recent reduction in the number of hours of Vietnamese language programmes.

Jim Murphy: There has been no reduction in broadcasting hours of the BBC Vietnamese Service recently. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary therefore has no plans to raise this issue with the Head of the BBC World Service.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments the Big Lottery Fund made to  (a) Stategem and  (b) Morgan Allen Moore in each of the last five years; and on what dates and for what purpose the payment was made in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Big Lottery Fund has provided the following information about the dates, amounts and purpose of payments made by them to Strategem and Morgan Allen Moore during the last five years:
	
		
			  Company  Service  Date  £ (including VAT)  Information provided weekly 
			 Morgan Allen Moore Morgan Allen Moore is contracted by the Big Lottery Fund's Wales office as a monitoring service, highlighting issues relating to the work of National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government that is relevant to BIG's programmes in Wales. The Morgan Allen Moore Monitoring service provides BIG in Wales with Relevant background to WAG and NAFW enabling BIG to be more responsive and informs us on strategic policy decisions. 3 June 2004 542.85 Morgan Allen Moore provide a weekly summary highlighting: 
			   18 June 2004 542.85 Questions and issues raised by Assembly Members in relation to the work of the Big Lottery Fund. 
			   11 August 2004 542.85  
			   18 August 2004 542.85 New policies and strategies relevant to the Big lottery Fund's work; 
			   10 September 2004 542.85 Work of the National Assembly for Wales committees; 
			   15 October 2004 542.85 Up-coming Consultations and reviews that the Big Lottery Fund may wish to contribute to; 
			   16 November 2004 542.85 Funding announcements to ensure that Big Lottery Fund complements other funding streams. 
			   5 January 2005 542.85 Morgan Allen Moore also provides ad-hoc briefings for BIG for events and meetings. 
			   25 January 2005 542.85  
			   22 February 2005 542.85  
			   9 March 2005 542.85  
			   15 April 2005 542.85  
			   16 May 2005 542.85  
			   30 June 2005 542.85  
			   25 July 2005 542.85  
			   17 August 2005 542.85  
			   14 September 2005 542.85  
			   17 October 2005 542.85  
			   7 December 2005 542.85  
			   21 December 2005 542.85  
			   21 December 2005 -542.85  
			   21 December 2005 542.85  
			   13 February 2006 542.85  
			   17 March 2006 542.85  
			   24 April 2006 542.85  
			   17 May 2006 542.85  
			   20 June 2006 542.85  
			   24 July 2006 542.85  
			   27 September 2006 1,085.70  
			   5 October 2006 542.85  
			   16 November2006 542.85  
			   15 December 2006 542.85  
			   13 February 2007 542.85  
			   12 March 2007 542.85  
			   3 April 2007 542.85  
			   17 April 2007 542.85  
			   15 May 2007 542.85  
			   12 June 2007 542.85  
			   17 July 2007 542.85  
			   9 August 2007 542.85  
			   8 November2007 542.85  
			   3 January 2008 542.85  
			   30 January 2008 1,628.55  
			   7 February 2008 542.85  
			   11 March 2008 542.85  
			   9 April 2008 542.85  
		
	
	
		
			  Company  Service  Date  Net  a mount (£)  Information provided annually 
			 Stratagem Annual subscription to Stratagem's Public Affairs Toolkit 18 August 2004 352.50 12 monthly updates via email to Public Affairs Officer, NI 
			   9 August 2005 352.50 Ad hoc updates on key political developments in Assembly/NI 
			   17 October 2006 411.25  
			   12 September 2007 411.25

Culture: Local Authorities

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what requirements his Department makes of local authorities to produce local cultural strategies; and how many local authorities have submitted such strategies to his Department in each year since 2000.

Margaret Hodge: We encourage culture to form part of sustainable communities' strategies and regional economic strategies, however we place no statutory duty on local authorities to submit local cultural strategies.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department will be launching the Cycle to Work Scheme on 1 May 2008 and The Royal Parks Agency introduced the scheme in June 2007. The Department also offers staff an interest free advance of salary to assist in the purchase of a bicycle if it is used for work. We do not centrally hold information on schemes run by our NDPBs.

Departmental Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent employees are employed in his Department's public engagement and recognition unit.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Public Engagement and Recognition Unit (PERU) was set up on 15 April 2008 as part of the transformation of DCMS following its capability review. Based on an earlier model, PERU brings together a number of functions which were previously spread across policy teams in the Department in order to provide a higher quality service. It is expected that, over time, the centralisation of these functions will enable the service to be delivered more efficiently, and at a lower cost, than before. PERU is responsible for much of the Department's direct communication with the public and Parliament, including correspondence and telephone inquiries, Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary questions. It is also responsible for co-ordinating briefings for Ministers, appointments to public bodies and recommendations for honours.
	It currently employs 37.95 full-time equivalent employees.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent information is contained in the scheme's resource accounts. Copies of the accounts are available from the House Library or can be viewed on-line on the Cabinet Office's website using the following link:
	http://www.civilservice_pensions.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.civilservice_pensions.gov.uk/publications/csra_2006_2007.pdf

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information on liabilities in present value terms have been detailed in the scheme's resource accounts since 2000-01, although these are produced under differing sets of assumptions (e.g. on longevity), so are not comparable across years. Copies of the scheme's accounts since 2000-01 are available from the House Library or can be viewed from the following page on the Cabinet Office's website at:
	http://www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk/facts_andfigures.aspx

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) rate and  (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent information is contained in the scheme's resource accounts. Copies of the accounts are available from the House Library or can be viewed on-line on the Cabinet Office's website using the following link:
	http://www.civilservice_pensions.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.civilservice_pensions.gov.uk/publications/csra_2006_2007.pdf

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is set out in DCMS's resource accounts 2006-07 on pages 26-29. Copies of the accounts are available from the House Library or can be viewed online on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's website using the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8493F432266C469085CODE4FDFDC4D50/0/dcmsresourceaccounts_200607.pdf

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget of his Department's public engagement and recognition unit is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Public Engagement and Recognition Unit (PERU) was set up on 15 April 2008 as part of the transformation of DCMS following its capability review. PERU is responsible for much of the Department's direct communication with the public and Parliament, including correspondence and telephone inquiries, Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary questions. It is also responsible for co-ordinating briefings for Ministers, appointments to public bodies and recommendations for honours. Based on an earlier model, PERU brings together a range of functions, which were previously spread across policy teams in the Department, in order to provide a higher quality service. It is expected that, over time, the centralisation of these functions will enable the service to be delivered more efficiently than before.
	PERU'S administration budget for 2008-09 is £1,460,000 and its programme budget is £160,000. The Unit's budget for 2009-10 has not yet been determined.

Digital Broadcasting

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to ensure full television transmission to all people following the digital TV switchover, with particular reference to transmission blind spots; when the process will be complete; and how much it will cost.

Andy Burnham: At switchover, it is expected that UK wide coverage levels for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), will reach that of present analogue services, which is 98.5 per cent. of households. For virtually all other households, there will be other options available, including free-to-view satellite services. The switchover process will be completed by 2012. The costs of building out the transmission network for switchover are being met by broadcasters. These costs are confidential.

Digital Broadcasting

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of constituencies in which residential areas will no longer be able to receive terrestrial television signals following digital switchover in 2012.

Andy Burnham: We expect that at switchover the coverage of the public service broadcaster (PSB) multiplexes, via Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), will match that of the existing analogue services, which is 98.5 per cent. of households.
	We do not keep data on a constituency basis.

Mass Media: Apprentices

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the procedure is for people to apply for the media apprenticeships announced by the Secretary of State on 22 February in his publication, Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 2 April 2008
	The ambition of establishing up to 5,000 apprenticeships in the creative industries is designed to help remove the barriers to entry and diversify the work force. The BBC at mediacityiuk, Tate Liverpool, and Universal Music Group are among the first to sign up to offer high quality training.
	The normal procedure is for people to find apprenticeships directly with an employer, or via a training provider, both of whom would carry out usual recruitment activities.
	Potential apprentices can find out more information from the Learning and Skills Council or through the apprenticeship website at:
	http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk
	where they can register to receive information on apprenticeships available in their area. The website also identifies other sources of information, such as Connexions and Jobcentre Plus.

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to achieve the target of increasing private sector funding of sport in 2008-09.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has developed a commercial strategy to support its target to raise £50 million in private sector funding. This is part of its overall strategy for 2008-11, which is being finalised and is due to be launched shortly.
	We are also working closely with UK Sport and others about raising the £100 million private sector funding for elite athletes.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Bankruptcy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the practices of credit companies in issuing statutory demands to debtors rather than applying for county court judgements; and what assessment he has made of the effect this practice has on levels of bankruptcies.

Patrick McFadden: A creditor can ask the court to make a bankruptcy order in respect of a debtor on the ground of inability to pay their debts which may be demonstrated on the basis of a failure to comply with a statutory demand, or alternatively that a county court judgment has been returned unsatisfied in whole or in part. Both routes are equally acceptable, subject to the proper procedure being followed, and may result in a bankruptcy order being made by the court.
	The Insolvency Service does not keep statistics on the number of bankruptcies which arise from either route, either within the credit industry or more widely and the effect of any particular industry practices upon bankruptcy numbers is therefore unknown. However, the number of bankruptcies arising from creditor petitions has remained relatively flat over the past few years.
	There are a range of measures in place to reduce the number of individuals who become over-indebted and to support those who have become so. These include the expansion of the National Debtline, which now helps 150,000 clients per year and the face to face debt advice programme.

Billing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Government will issue its response to the billing and metering consultation; and what the reasons are for the time taken to respond.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government will shortly issue their response to the consultation. Given the importance of this issue, the Government have been concerned that the response, and the material that accompanies it, including the draft Impact Assessment of smart metering, should be as thorough as possible.

Bird and Bird

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what contracts were awarded by his Department to Bird and Bird solicitors in each year since 2005; and what the  (a) value and  (b) duration of each such contract was.

Gareth Thomas: Central records indicate that the following amounts have been paid to Bird and Bird solicitors in financial years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 79,243 
			 2006-07 219,805 
			 2007-08 106,637 
		
	
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Certification Officer: Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what pension scheme is offered to staff joining the Office of the Certification Officer; what the rate of employer contributions to the scheme is; and if he will place in the Library details of the terms and benefits of the scheme.

Patrick McFadden: The Office of the Certification Officer is covered by the civil service pension.
	New entrants to the civil service are covered by the civil service pension arrangements. Staff can choose between 'nuvos', a defined benefit pension scheme and 'partnership', a stakeholder pension. If a person is being re-employed, and was previously a member of a civil service pension scheme, they may be able to rejoin their previous scheme, but this will depend on the length of time since they were last employed.
	In respect of members of the defined benefit schemes, employer contribution rates are assessed for each of four ranges of pay levels. A separate rate is payable in respect of a group of prison officers who have certain reserved rights.
	The rates for 2008-09 are as follows:
	
		
			  Band  Full-time annual salary  Rate from 1 April 2008 (Percentage) 
			 Band 1 £19,500 and under 17.1 
			 Band 2 £19,501 to £40,500 19.5 
			 Band 3 £40,501 to £69,000 23.2 
			 Band 4 £69,001 and above 25.5 
			 Prison officers with reserved rights (pre-fresh start)  26.5 
		
	
	The scheme rules are laid before Parliament and copies are in the House Library.
	For members of 'partnership', the employer pays a basic contribution of between 3 per cent. and 12.5 per cent. (depending on the age of the member) into a stakeholder pension product and will match the member's contribution up to a limit of 3 per cent. Employers also contribute a further 0.8 per cent. of pensionable salary to cover the cost of risk benefit cover (death in service and ill health retirement).
	Details of the civil service pension arrangements can be found on the civil service pensions website at:
	http://www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Arrests

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many arrests the Civil Nuclear Constabulary have made since 22nd July 2004, broken down by offence; and of those which resulted in a criminal conviction, for which criminal offence each individual was convicted.

Malcolm Wicks: The CNC was established on 1 April 2005, taking over responsibilities from its predecessor, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary. Since 22 July 2004 the two forces have conducted 13 arrests where a criminal investigation has been undertaken. The following table provides the associated data:
	
		
			  Offence arrested  Result  Offence convicted 
			 Manslaughter Not prosecuted n/a 
			 Manslaughter Not prosecuted n/a 
			 Manslaughter Not prosecuted n/a 
			 Obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception Convicted Using false instrument for other than prescription for scheduled drug. 
			 Forgery or copying false instrument — Forging document other than prescription for scheduled drug. Obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception. 
			 Infringement of copyright Cautioned Possession of goods with false trademark for sale or hire. Possessing in source of business article which infringes copyright. 
			 Theft by employee Cautioned Theft by employee 
			 Theft by employee Cautioned Theft by employee 
			 Theft by employee Not prosecuted n/a 
			 Common Assault Convicted Battery 
			 Fraud Not prosecuted n/a 
			 Theft by employee Cautioned Theft by employee 
			 Criminal damage Convicted Destroy or damage property 
			 Possession of controlled drug Cannabis warning n/a

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Firearms

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform at which locations under the protection of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers are authorised to carry firearms.

Malcolm Wicks: CNC officers are authorised to carry firearms at any licensed civil nuclear site under their protection, as well as when escorting nuclear material from one location to another.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Recruitment

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications to join the Civil Nuclear Constabulary have been rejected because the applicant did not meet the criteria set out in personnel security policy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security, who have responsibility for vetting CNC applicants, confirm that all applicants met the criteria set out on the personnel security policy. Therefore CNC have not rejected any applications for this reason.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Recruitment

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications to join the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in a  (a) policing and  (b) administrative capacity have been (i) made and (ii) successful since 22nd July 2004.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 29 April 2008
	The CNC was established on 1 April 2005, therefore the data collated are from this date.
	There were 2,929 police applications made, of which 327 were successful, and 1,000 administrative applications, of which 72 were successful.

Community Interest Companies: Pay

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what scrutiny is undertaken of the rates of pay for senior executives of community interest companies to monitor whether such pay is appropriate for the tasks undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Every community interest company (CIC) is obliged by section 26 of the Community Interest Company Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/1788) to disclose certain details about its directors' remuneration as part of its annual community interest company report. The decision as to how much an individual director is paid is a matter for each CIC but the functioning of CICs is overseen by the CIC regulator to whom a copy of the community interest company report is sent.
	Any person can report their concerns to the CIC regulator if they consider that the CIC's actions appear to be inconsistent with its aim to benefit the community. This includes concerns about remuneration. The regulator has supervisory powers under the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 to maintain confidence in community interest companies. This includes the power, where appropriate, to investigate the affairs of a community interest company.

Competition Commission: Euro RSCG Apex Communications

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what payments the Competition Commission has made to Euro RSCG Apex Communications in each of the last five years; on what dates and for what purpose in each case.

Gareth Thomas: The Competition Commission made no payments to Euro RSCG Apex Communications before October 2007. It has since made four payments totalling £11,867.50 for communications advice and support.

Debt Collection: Licensing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold discussions with the Office of Fair Trading about the issuing of consumer credit licences to debt collecting companies and ensuring that recipients of licences have a responsibility to check properly the history of those individuals passed onto them to prevent older people who have faced identity theft from being caused distress.

Gareth Thomas: We have recently given the Office of Fair Trading wider ranging powers to tackle debt collectors. Debt collectors are now subject to greater scrutiny at the licence application stage and greater monitoring throughout the life of the licence. Furthermore, as part of a recently completed investigation, the OFT has issued warnings to 13 companies telling them that they need to take steps to improve their debt collection practices. In particular, the companies involved have specifically been asked to review their policies and procedures for tracing debtors, including keeping client data up to date and maintaining its accuracy.

Departmental Data Protection

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 75W, on departmental data protection, if he will include information assurance data on data loss incidents in previous years in his Department's next annual report.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179 and the written ministerial statement made my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and Agencies for the storage and use of data.
	The interim report of 17 December 2007 committed to put in place a programme to examine and improve data handling procedures. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected shortly, and this report will detail the information to be included by departments on data loss in their annual reports.

Departmental Energy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to reduce its energy consumption in the last 12 months; and what his Department's expenditure on energy was in  (a) the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and  (b) the immediately preceding 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: My Department has recently undertaken energy audits across its estate. Projects identified to reduce carbon emissions include using lighting controls more effectively and piloting the use of light emitting diode (LED) technology. Staff are encouraged to use video conferencing and to consider how they travel to meetings. Bike loans are also available to staff and environmental awareness campaigns are regularly conducted.
	My Department's HQ estate expenditure on energy for the last two reportable years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2007-08  
			 Electricity 1,572,132.12 
			 Gas 147,783.77 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Electricity 1,587,809.42 
			 Gas 169,689.90

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criminal offences have been abolished by primary legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessors since May 1997.

Gareth Thomas: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its Executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: This information is set out in the Remuneration Report, which is part of the Department's resource accounts. The Department's combined annual departmental report and resource accounts are published in July.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many public consultations were held by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation.

Patrick McFadden: BERR makes extensive use of both formal and informal consultation in developing policy. DTI conducted 71 formal written consultations in 2005, 52 in 2006 and DT and BERR conducted 51 in 2007. The number of responses to these questions varied greatly, from under 10 in the case of our consultation published on 6 September 2007 on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment to several thousand in the case of our consultation published on 18 June 2007 on Export Control Legislation. Providing precise response numbers for each of the consultations could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many of his Department's staff took more than  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15,  (d) 20,  (e) 25,  (f) 30,  (g) 35 and  (h) 40 days leave due to stress in each of the last five years, broken down by pay grade.

Gareth Thomas: The number of BERR staff who have taken leave due to stress in the last five years, broken down by pay grade is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			   2003  
			  Range  Less than 5  6 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 20  21 to 25  26 to 30  31 to 35  36 to 40  More than 40  2003 total 
			 Range 2 2 1 2 — — — — — 2 7 
			 Range 3 4 — 2 2 1 1 — — 2 12 
			 Range 4 22 2 4 3 2 1 2 1 10 47 
			 Range 5 4 — 2 — — — — — 1 8 
			 Range 6 11 3 2 3 — 1 1 — 9 30 
			 Range 7 1 — — — — — — — 1 2 
			 Range 8 6 1 3 — 3 2 2 — 8 25 
			 Range 9 — — — — — 1 — 1 1 3 
			 Faststream 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Range 10 3 2 — — 1 — 1 — 2 9 
			 Range 11 2 2 1 1 — — — — 1 7 
			 Grand total 56 11 16 9 7 6 6 3 37 151 
		
	
	
		
			   2004  
			  Range  Less than 5  6 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 20  21 to 25  26 to 30  31 to 35  36 to 40  More than 40  2004 total 
			 Range 2 6 — 2 — — — — — 4 12 
			 Range 3 8 2 2 — — — 1 — 2 15 
			 Range 4 22 2 5 4 1 1 1 — 5 41 
			 Range 5 3 — 3 — 1 — — — 4 11 
			 Range 6 9 1 — — 1 1 — 1 — 13 
			 Range 7 4 — — 1 — — — — 1 6 
			 Range 8 10 — 1 2 1 1 — — 4 19 
			 Range 9 2 — 2 — — — — — 2 6 
			 Faststream — — — — — — — — — 0 
			 Range 10 1 2 — 1 — — — — 1 5 
			 Range 11 1 — — — — 1 — — 1 3 
			 Grand total 66 7 15 8 4 4 2 1 24 131 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  
			  Range  Less than 5  6 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 20  21 to 25  26 to 30  31 to 35  36 to 40  More than 40  2005 total 
			 Range 2 1 1 — — — — — — 1 3 
			 Range 3 13 1 3 3 1 — — — 2 23 
			 Range 4 28 2 4 1 1 — 3 — 5 44 
			 Range 5 2 — — — — — — — 1 3 
			 Range 6 8 1 1 — 1 — 1 1 4 17 
			 Range 7 1 — — — — — — — 2 3 
			 Range 8 11 2 2 — — 1 — — — 16 
			 Range 9 3 — — — — — — — 2 5 
			 Faststream — — — — — — — — — 0 
			 Range 10 1 1 — — — 1 — — 3 6 
			 Range 11 — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Grand total 68 8 10 4 3 2 4 1 21 121 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  
			  Range  Less than 5  6 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 20  21 to 25  26 to 30  31 to 35  36 to 40  More than 40  2006 total 
			 Range 2 5 — — — 1 — — — 2 8 
			 Range 3 11 — 2 — — 2 1 — 2 18 
			 Range 4 54 4 3 5 4 8 2 1 12 93 
			 Range 5 3 1 3 1 — — — 2 5 15 
			 Range 6 17 — 2 — — 1 1 1 4 26 
			 Range 7 4 — 1 — — — — — 2 7 
			 Range 8 4 1 1 1 1 — — — 4 12 
			 Range 9 2 2 1 — — — — 1 1 7 
			 Faststream — — — — — — — — — 0 
			 Range 10 1 1 2 — 1 — — — 2 7 
			 Range 11 2 — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Grand total 103 9 15 7 7 11 4 5 34 195 
		
	
	
		
			   2007  
			  Range  Less than 5  6 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 20  21 to 25  26 to 30  31 to 35  36 to 40  More than 40  200 7  total 
			 Range 2 7 1 — 1 — — — 1 1 11 
			 Range 3 — — — — 1 — 1 — 1 3 
			 Range 4 20 3 2 2 1 2 — — 10 40 
			 Range 5 5 1 2 — — — 1 — 3 12 
			 Range 6 18 4 2 1 1 2 — — 5 33 
			 Range 7 2 — 1 1 — — — — 6 10 
			 Range 8 7 3 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 15 
			 Range 9 1 1 — 1 — 1 — — 2 6 
			 Faststream — 1 — 1 — — — — — 2 
			 Range 10 10 — 3 — — — — — 1 14 
			 Range 11 1 — 1 — — — — — — 2 
			 Grand total 71 14 12 8 3 7 3 — 30 148

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many full-time posts were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in his Department in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform does not hold this information centrally. As this would involve manually investigating individual records of temporary staff, the cost of doing this would be disproportionate.

Employment: Immigration

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of immigration on the wages of low-skilled workers; and what steps he is taking to mitigate any negative effects;
	(2)  what research he has conducted on the effect of levels of immigration on trends in wage levels; and what steps he is taking to alleviate any negative effects.

Patrick McFadden: Research conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2006 (DWP Working paper No. 29) found no discernable statistical evidence to suggest that A8 migration has been a contributor to the rise in claimant unemployment in the UK.
	With respect to wages, research commissioned by the Low Pay Commission in 2007 (Dustmann et al. 2007) found that immigration had a positive effect on wage growth across the earnings distribution. On average, the research found a slightly positive effect on overall wage growth, but with very modest negative effects on wage growth at the lower end of the distribution. The research also noted that the national minimum wage has played an important role in insulating the wages of low-paid workers from a larger impact.

Energy: EC Law

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will visit a controls manufacturing plant Lot 1 of the Energy-using Products Directive before its implementation.

Malcolm Wicks: I have no plans for a specific visit for this purpose at the moment, however I am aware that officials from my Department and DEFRA made a visit to the Worcester-Bosch boilers and water heaters manufacturing plant in February this year.

Energy: Meters

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what his policy is on a smart meters mandate, with particular reference to provision at a regional level;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with Ofgem on a smart meters mandate;
	(3)  what plans he has to encourage the installation of smart meters in  (a) new and  (b) existing housing stock over the next decade.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government will seek a power under the Energy Bill that would enable it to make arrangements to roll out smart meters to all households. It intends to use these powers to provide advanced meters to larger business customers, and will take final decisions on wider smart metering thereafter. Ofgem has been closely involved in the work my Department has undertaken on smart meters, including whether and how their provision might be required.

Export Credits Guarantee Department: Sustainable Development

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what timetable he has set for the review of the statutory obligations, policies and operations of the Export Credits Guarantee Department in line with the Government's priorities for  (a) sustainable development and  (b) climate stability.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no current plan to review ECGD's statutory obligations, operations or policies insofar as these relate to sustainable development and climate stability. Through its business principles, ECGD has a continuing obligation to take into account Government policies, including those relating to sustainable development and the environment, in processing applications for ECGD support.

Export Credits Guarantee Dept: Standards

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the reviews of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's Case Impact Analysis Process and Business Principles will take place; and what form the public consultation on the procedures will take.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no plan to review ECGD's business principles in the immediate future.
	ECGD's case impact analysis process (CIAP) is to be updated to take account of the revised 2007 OECD common approaches on the environment and officially supported export credits.

Heating: EU Law

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of the Energy-using Products Directive on the UK heating controls industry and on employment in the industry.

Malcolm Wicks: An impact assessment was made by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for the Ecodesign for Energy-Using Products Regulations 2007, which transpose the framework Directive on Energy-using Products (EuP) in the UK. The Commission has yet to table a draft implementing measure and impact assessment for boilers and water heaters, although they have issued a first draft of a working document for discussion. As the initial implementing measures, including that on boilers and water heaters, under the EuP Directive are focused on energy efficiency, it will be for DEFRA to produce any impact assessment as necessary.

Minimum Wage

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the rate of compliance by employers with national minimum wage legislation.

Patrick McFadden: Ensuring workers and employers are aware of their rights and responsibilities is key to ensuring workers get the minimum wage due to them. In his pre-Budget report 2006, the Chancellor announced an additional £2.9 million for monitoring and enforcing the minimum wage each year for the next four years. We carried out an extensive awareness campaign this year, including radio, posters and online activity as well as an outreach bus. The focus of our campaigns to raise awareness of national minimum wage and the current rates and ensure workers and employers know where to go for advice or to make a complaint.
	We are also taking steps to strengthen the national minimum wage enforcement regime in a Bill which is currently in the House of Lords. Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes proposed in this Bill will provide a clear deterrent to non-compliance: there is a new automatic penalty for employers who fail to pay their workers the national minimum wage and in addition, where workers have been underpaid, employers will have to reimburse them at current, rather than historic rates. The Bill also gives HMRC compliance officers new inspection powers and strengthens the criminal regime that applies where an employer has committed an offence.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what mechanism he plans to put in place to fund the Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board; and for what time period board members will be appointed.

Malcolm Wicks: The terms of reference for the Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board are currently in development, but will contain information on both funding arrangements and the time period board members will be appointed for. As stated in the "Consultation on Funded Decommissioning Programme Guidance for New Nuclear Power Stations" document, published on 22 February, we expect to publish the terms of reference in Q2 2008.

Post Offices: Closures

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what postal services may be offered by local shops affected by post office closures;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy that shops which previously contained post offices be able to continue to offer services provided by those post offices.

Patrick McFadden: Following closure of a post office under Post Office Ltd.'s Network Change programme, a former sub-postmaster may opt to offer postal and other former post office services through another service provider. But if the option is exercised to offer such services within 12 months of the closure of the post office, the compensation payable is reduced to reflect the potential to retain that income in line with the terms of the agreement between Post Office Ltd. and the National Federation of SubPostmasters.

Post Offices: Closures

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost of the outreach services to be provided as part of the post office closure programme in  (a) the Cotswolds and  (b) England.
	(2)  what assessment will be made of the adequacy of the outreach activities to be offered in each case where a post office is closed; and what steps will be taken in any circumstances where such services are considered to be inadequate.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices: Closures

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance has been given to shop owners who have agreed to stop providing post office services on the compensation package to which they are entitled.

Patrick McFadden: The terms on which compensation is payable to sub-postmasters whose offices are closed under Post Office Ltd.'s Network Change programme are those agreed between the company and the National Federation of SubPostmasters.

Post Offices: Closures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects an announcement on post office closures in south-west Devon to be made.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 28 April 2008
	I understand that the public consultation for the Devon area plan proposals will start on 20 May and is expected to finish on 30 June 2008. Post Office Limited aims to announce final decisions three weeks after the end of the consultation period.

Post Offices: Closures

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  if he will instruct Post Office Ltd to provide Hampshire county council with a statement on the financial viability of specific post office branches scheduled for closure;
	(2)  what his policy is on county councils seeking to select post office branches for help to avoid closure; and if he will take steps to assist such councils in obtaining relevant financial information required for this purpose.

Patrick McFadden: Holding answer 29 April 2008
	The Government have asked Post Office Limited to engage positively with local authorities (or community groups) that wish to fund some continuing service provision where branches are scheduled for closure and where no alternative Outreach service is being provided. At the same time, the Government have made clear that Post Office Limited must ensure that any local funding arrangements do not undermine the sustainability of the wider Post Office network.

Post Offices: PayPoint Machines

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received on the placement of PayPoint machines in the same premises as post offices; what discussions he has had with Post Office Ltd on the subject; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have met and corresponded with the chief executive of PayPoint plc on this subject.
	I meet regularly with Post Office Ltd to discuss a range of issues, including the services provided at Post Offices. However, the installation of a PayPoint terminal on the private side of a sub postmaster's business is a commercial matter for sub postmasters within the context of the terms of their contract with Post Office Ltd.

Recruitment: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make an assessment of whether the use of information on social networking sites by employers in their recruitment procedures is likely to result in discriminatory employment practices; and if he will bring forward proposals to prevent employers from making such use of such information.

Gareth Thomas: We would certainly encourage employers to treat all job applicants courteously, fairly and objectively in their recruitment procedures. People who make information about themselves public on websites do so of their own volition. If a job applicant believes an employer has made use of such information to discriminate against them on one of the protected grounds under discrimination law, it would be open to the applicant to take action.

Regional Development Agencies

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which regional development agencies were represented at one or more political party conference in each year since 2000.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 28 April 2008
	The following table shows RDAs' representation at the three main political party conferences since 2000.
	
		
			   Conservative  Labour  Liberal Democrat 
			  2007
			 AWM Yes Yes Yes 
			 EEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 EMDA Yes Yes No 
			 LDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA No No No 
			 SWRDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2006
			 AWM No Yes No 
			 EEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 EMDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 LDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 SWRDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2005
			 AWM No Yes No 
			 EEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 EMDA Yes Yes No 
			 LDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2004
			 AWM No Yes No 
			 EEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 EMDA No No No 
			 LDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2003
			 AWM No No No 
			 EEDA No No No 
			 EMDA No No No 
			 LDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA(3)
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2002
			 AWM No No No 
			 EEDA No No No 
			 EMDA No No No 
			 LDA(1) Yes Yes Yes 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA(3) — — — 
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2001
			 AWM No No No 
			 EEDA No No No 
			 EMDA No No No 
			 LDA(1) — — — 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE Yes Yes Yes 
			 SEEDA(3) — — — 
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF Yes Yes Yes 
			 
			  2000
			 AWM No No No 
			 EEDA No No No 
			 EMDA No No No 
			 LDA(1) — — — 
			 NWDA Yes Yes Yes 
			 ONE(2) — — — 
			 SEEDA(3) — — — 
			 SWRDA No No No 
			 YF No No No 
			 (1) LDA records for representation at party conferences for 2000, 2001 and 2002 are held in archive (off site). (2) ONE does not hold records for representation at party conferences before 2001. (3) SEED A has no central records for representation at party conferences before 2004.

Renewable Energy: Seas and Oceans

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of  (a) the potential to derive energy from ocean swell and  (b) designs which are capable of capturing energy from very large ocean swell; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Carbon Trust has estimated that the total resource for, wave and tidal stream/range generation in the UK is around 43 GW. They have estimated that, ultimately, around 15-20 per cent. of the UK's current electricity demand could be supplied by wave and tidal stream technologies. Of this, 10-15 per cent. could be from ocean swell (i.e. wave) energy.
	There are a wide range of devices being developed to generate electricity from ocean waves but none has yet progressed to a stage where they are ready for deployment at a commercial scale. The Government have provided support for research and development into wave energy to meet the needs of innovation at all stages of technology readiness. This includes funding through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council SuperGen programme, the Technology Strategy Board, the new Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and the Carbon Trust. The ETI's first call for expressions of interest, launched in December 2007, included proposals for research into wave and tidal energy.
	In addition, BERR has 42 million funding available under the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund to support the commercial demonstration of full scale wave and tidal energy devices. When they are deployed, they will be supported by the renewables obligation, under which they will receive an enhanced level of support.
	Government support for wave and tidal energy technologies will be reviewed as part of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation which is due to be published in the summer.

Renewable Energy: Severn Estuary

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the feasibility study into the options for generating renewable electricity in the Severn Estuary will include assumptions about the price and availability of oil during the construction, operation, decommissioning and removal of each option.

Malcolm Wicks: Yes we intend to use consistent oil assumptions when comparing options.

Renewable Energy: Severn Estuary

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will commission a small-scale trial of tidal lagoon technology during the Government's feasibility study into the options for generating renewable electricity in the Severn Estuary.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have proposed amendments to the Renewables Obligation to support tidal lagoons and barrages below 1GW. It will be for project developers to obtain the necessary consents and permissions through the usual procedures. The feasibility study will consider tidal lagoons alongside other options.

Renewable Energy: Severn Estuary

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the feasibility study into the options for generating renewable electricity in the Severn Estuary will take into account the  (a) location,  (b) size,  (c) objective,  (d) costs and  (e) impacts of the compensatory habitats associated with each option.

Malcolm Wicks: We will make clear in the options appraisal what assumptions are being made on compensatory habitat.

Renewable Energy: Severn Estuary

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the feasibility study into the options for generating renewable electricity in the Severn Estuary will consider the  (a) methods,  (b) resources,  (c) assumptions and  (d) costs associated with the decommissioning and removal of each option.

Malcolm Wicks: We will be issuing a call for evidence through the strategic environmental assessment process through which we will ask for details of decommissioning plans for all options.

Renewable Energy: Severn Estuary

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the feasibility study into the options for generating renewable electricity in the Severn Estuary will consider the latest performance and environmental impact data relating to the Annapolis Royal barrage in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Malcolm Wicks: The feasibility study will look at the experience of other tidal installations, including Annapolis Royal, recognising the Severn Estuary is not an exact replica of the Bay of Fundy.

Small Businesses: Construction

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to provide loans to small and medium sized enterprises which are construction companies to assist them in meeting the capital costs associated with high energy-efficiency construction projects.

Gareth Thomas: BERR has no plans to develop loan funds targeted specifically at construction sectors delivering energy-efficiency projects.
	Small and medium size businesses operating in construction and energy sectors are already eligible for the Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG), subject to lenders normal lending criteria. This is the Government's principal debt finance instrument, managed as part of BERR's strategy to help businesses to be able to access finance they need. In the Financial Year 2006-07 almost 5 per cent. of the overall distribution of SFLG lending went to businesses operating across construction sectors.

UK/US Defence Technology Co-operation Treaty

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will provide assistance to small and medium-sized businesses to enable them to take advantage of the UK/US Defence Technology Co-operation Treaty.

Gareth Thomas: A key aim of the US/UK Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty is to remove the administrative burden of applying for and processing US export licences, helping all companies to reduce their costs in this area. Once the treaty is ratified by the United States, the MOD will develop and issue guidance for industry which will be supported by training packages as required. BERR's Export Control Organisation will provide information to business on the interaction between the treaty and UK export controls.
	In addition, MOD is working closely with the larger defence companies to find the best ways for their sub-contractors to take advantage of the treaty.
	The UKTI Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) will continue to offer support to defence SMEs through its existing Charter scheme. More generally, Business Link has been created to act as the primary channel for all businesses providing them with access to the help and support they need to start and develop their business.

Zurich Financial Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department and its predecessors paid to Zurich Financial Services in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of each payment was.

Gareth Thomas: Central records indicate that the Department and its predecessors have paid the following to Zurich Financial Services since 1997:
	
		
			   Purpose  Amount () 
			 2002 Partnership Fund Grant Payment 14,220 
			 2003 Partnership Fund Grant Payment 7,295